Amethyst: A New Adventure Awaits
by Shadow of the Apprentice
Summary: Roddy, a 16 year old boy who has experienced nothing but farm life, is eager to begin his very own pokemon journey. What sort of adventures lie ahead? What kind of people await? What mysteries will be revealed along the way? Find out, in Amethyst!
1. Chapter 1

Alrighty everybody.

Welcome to my Amethyst *crosses fingers* Series! =D

Just thought I'd give you a quick overview of my plans and goals for this story!

First of all I want to mention that this has been an on-and-off project for quite awhile… It's been many moons, in fact, since I first started scribbling down ideas and junk. I'm much more committed to it now, though, so hopefully we can expect updates every week! **(month is more accurate right now... times are tough, the market on digital ink is virtually dead, and some other pun-laden excuse that can be inserted here)** **totally going to use the whole "I started writing this years ago" thing as an excuse for my novice-level writing** ;P

I originally thought that I could wrap a bunch of my plot ideas up in one nice story, but as things have progressed, I have come to a different decision. I'm going to continue on. And on. And on. And on with this story, which is focused on our beloved Roddy. _(Does he know that he put this in the introduction? How can anybody judge whether or not Roddy is actually "beloved" yet? I mean, let the readers decide for themselves, you know? Sheesh, stop pressuring them already.)_

Anyway, this story will basically never end. I may slice it up into super huge chunks eventually, but then we will still just have a never-ending heap of awkwardly large slices. What I'm trying to say is that Roddy's adventure will last a very long time and this story will be very broad, in a sense. That is why I am hoping to also (eventually) write a selection of much narrower character shorts. These will be jam-packed with a lot more action condensed into much shorter stories. They will focus on different characters and hopefully unravel some key mysteries in the world of Amethyst.

Also, just so you're aware, I've combined aspects of both the pokemon games and the anime series into my story. All of this overshadowed by my own original twists, of course! :) So in case something seems a little familiar, a bit off, or glaringly different, just know that it was carefully planned out and orchestrated for your very own entertainment! ^.^

That being said, I encourage you all to grab a beanbag, cuddle up, and share a fizzy glass of sparkling blueberry grape juice with me. I hope you enjoy the story of Amethyst! And please, if you're willing, leave me reviews, follow, or even favorite if you really enjoy the story! Any feedback, good or bad, would be super appreciated! :D

~Shadow

* * *

 _Thwomp. Thwomp. Thwomp._

The waves lapped steadily against the metal hull of the ship, the _S.S. Bermuda._ The sun bore down intensely, but it felt pleasantly refreshing paired with the cool ocean spray that continually misted over the deck of the ship. Roddy leaned back and stretched, letting out a contented sigh.

"Man… this ain't so bad, huh, Slick?"

Last year, a devastating drought had suddenly whipped up without warning, ravaging the entire eastern half of the Johto region. Roddy's family had been thriving berry farmers outside of Cherrygrove City for generations, but this drought was unlike anything they had ever experienced. The entire berry crop for the year was wiped out. Not even the hardy ganlon berries were able to survive the scorching conditions. Roddy's parents, who were highly regarded across the entire Johto region, were invited to stay in Cianwood City while the drought rendered their farmland inarable. Their extensive knowledge of the unique properties of all types of berries landed them temporary jobs at the Cianwood City Pharmacy. With half of the Johto region incapacitated, the local pharmacy was bustling with business, preparing all sorts of medicinal products to be transported across the region.

Roddy didn't mind helping out his parents with their new operations. He did enjoy berry farming, and the new location was an interesting change of pace for him. As the months carried on, Roddy gradually became more comfortable with the new routines. However, as he became more accustomed to the daily tasks, he also began to feel the dull drag of the days seemingly repeating themselves. Itching for a shift in the daily pattern, Roddy began exploring the small island with his dad's Furret, Slick. Together Roddy and Slick scoured the island, meeting all sorts of different pokemon as they ventured around. Soon Roddy found that there was one thing he enjoyed even more than life on the berry farm, and he decided that he wanted to become a pokemon trainer.

That was how Roddy found himself aboard the _S.S. Bermuda_ , along with Slick, crossing the sea from his homeland of Johto to the luxurious Hoenn region.

" _Furr!"_ Slick agreed, scrambling up Roddy's legs and torso to perch on his shoulder.

When Roddy first told his parents that he wanted to go on his own pokemon journey, they were somewhat surprised. They knew that Roddy enjoyed working the berry farm with Furret, but they thought this was because he really enjoyed farming. However, they soon realized that the special bond between Roddy and Furret was not just a shared respect for each other's work; it was a mutual spirit for adventure.

Roddy's parents agreed to let him go on a pokemon journey when the winter season settled in. The intense drought pretty much negated any chances of snowstorms this year, and usually the Johto region didn't see much snow anyway, save for the mountainous areas. It did get quite a bit colder in the winter season, though, and less varieties of berries were able to grow. Since there wouldn't be as much work to do, Roddy's parents planned to send him back to Cherrygrove City to check up on the family farm property, and from there he could visit Professor Hawthorne to learn the basics of raising pokemon. However, when they contacted the professor, she dolefully informed them that because of the drought, she didn't have any starter pokemon for new trainers. She also apprised them that it would be near impossible to journey throughout the Johto region until the drought subsided. Sympathizing with Roddy's obvious disappointment, Professor Hawthorne suggested that his parents let him travel to a different region to begin his journey.

Roddy's parents were skeptical about the idea at first. Roddy however, eager to convince them to let him begin his adventure, quickly brought up the fact that they had family in the Hoenn region, and urged his parents to allow him to stay with them. His parents finally agreed that he could visit his cousins and start his pokemon journey in Hoenn.

"Ya know, I was just about ready to give up on seafaring, but this is amazing!" Roddy exclaimed, peering over the ship's metal railing and staring into the sapphire-blue water below.

" _Furret furr!"_

The ship had left port from Cianwood City almost two full days ago, and Roddy anticipated that they must be nearing Slateport City. From there Roddy would be transferred to a smaller passenger ferry which would take him to Petalburg City, where he would be greeted by his twin cousins, Jackson and April.

Roddy knew that Jackson and April lived in a quaint little house on the outskirts of Petalburg City, near Petalburg Woods. But other than that, he wasn't totally sure what to expect from his cousins. The last time he had seen them was five years ago, when he was eleven and they were both eight years old. The twins occasionally sent letters to Roddy via Wingull Express Mail but, other than that, they hadn't been able to keep in close touch.

"Believe it or not," a voice sounded from behind Roddy, "sea voyages can actually be quite enjoyable, when the weather holds clear."

Roddy turned to see the captain of the ship make his way across the deck and lean against the railing beside him. When the ship first departed from Cianwood City, the sky was perfectly-almost unnaturally-clear. The captain had warned the free-spirited passengers that crystal-clear skies could drastically turn into raging storms in the blink of an eye, especially out at sea. Roddy wondered if the captain hadn't jinxed the fate of the cruise; just hours after the ship pulled out of the harbor, rain came pouring down on the lugubrious passengers. It wasn't a vicious storm by any means, but it did rain steadily for more than a day, casting a gloomy mood over the disappointed travelers. The sky had finally cleared up today, now that they were almost at their destination. Roddy had decided to get the most out of the voyage by spending the final hours on the ship looking out across the expansive blue sea.

 _Thwomp. Thwomp._

"Days like this really make up for all the rotten ones. In fact, it was on a fine sailing day like today that I first decided I wanted to captain my very own vessel..." the captain recalled wistfully.

Roddy turned his gaze away from the entrancing blue water and gave the reminiscent captain a rueful smile. As he glanced over the deck of the ship beyond the captain, he noticed a group of oddly outfitted men huddled in a corner of the stern. They were wearing black slacks and bomber jackets, each one emblazoned with a dark violet "C" on the right breast pocket and a larger, scintillating one on the back of the jacket. To top off the peculiar uniforms, each man wore either a dark violet bandana or a backwards violet ball cap with a pair of unexplainable dark goggles above the forehead. One of the men also had a black cape adorned with glinting silver stars that made the whole cape shimmer as it waved through the breeze, almost giving the illusion that the man was just a splay of light on the shining metal deck of the ship.

As Roddy examined the curious lot of men, one of the taller ones with a bandana wrapped around a spiky bed of jet-black hair noticed him watching and narrowed his eyes. Then he whispered something to the caped man, who glanced over at Roddy, grimaced, and began to usher the group down into the lower cabins of the ship.

Roddy turned his attention back to the captain and asked, "Do you know who those uniformed guys over there are?" He pointed to the odd band of men.

The captain, brought back out of his reverie, squinted as he looked over to where the last few men of the group were disappearing to the subdeck.

"You know, those costumes do look familiar… Hmmm…" the captain ruminated. Roddy chuckled to himself at the captain's jaunty description of the tough-looking crew.

"I know," the captain perked up. "I remember seeing them on my ship a different time, nearly thirty years ago I'd bet. But I never did get around to asking who they were."

"Oh," Roddy maundered, his curiosity unsatiated.

"Quite an interesting lot, I'd say, assuming it's okay to judge this book by its cover," the captain quipped. "Well anyway, I'd better get back to tending the ship. We should be arriving at Slateport City within the hour."

As the captain turned away from the railing, Roddy went back to peering out across the ocean, trying to catch the first glimpse of land in the Hoenn region.

 _Thwomp. Thwomp. Thwomp._

The ship continued to surge through the gentle waves in steady succession.

"Wow, I still can't believe we're going to a whole new region," Roddy finally spoke to Slick. "I wonder if it'll be anything like Johto?"

" _Fuurrret,"_ Slick trilled, flicking his tail. He seemed just as eager to see the new land as Roddy was.

 _Our real adventure is about to begin_ , Roddy thought to himself. _I can hardly wait!_


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm one of those people who should never brush their teeth in public. But when I do, it's incredibly intimidating.**

 **-Me**

* * *

It was Slick who first saw the vague outline of land in the distance.

" _Fur furrettt!"_ he squeaked excitedly, hopping from Roddy's shoulder to the top of his head trying to get a better view.

"Hey, take it easy Slick. What's up?" Roddy queried his partner.

" _Furrr!"_ Slick waved his tail in the direction the ship was heading.

Roddy squinted as he peered forward, trying to find whatever it was that Furret was signaling about.

"What _are_ you getting so excited about? What do you see out there? Is it a pokemon?" Roddy frantically scanned the water from the edge ship to the horizon, but all he could see was endless blue sea for miles around.

" _Furrrr…"_ Slick seemed to sigh impatiently.

"Not all of us have foresight you know," Roddy grumbled, still trying to locate the source of Furret's excitement. Just as he said this, a booming voice rang out over the ship.

"Attention all passengers! We will be arriving in Slateport City in approximately twenty minutes. Please ensure that you remove all personal belongings from your cabin space. Disembarking will begin immediately upon arrival."

Slick jumped down from Roddy's head onto the wood-slabbed deck of the ship in one fluid motion. He looked up at Roddy and flicked his tail in an "I-was-trying-to-tell-you" manner. Roddy could have sworn that he rolled his eyes up at him, too.

Slick began to bound towards the subdeck stairwell as Roddy stretched vigorously by the railing. As Roddy turned to make his way after him, he glimpsed one of the strangely-outfitted men also headed to make his way below deck.

 _He sure seems to be in quite a hurry,_ Roddy thought to himself. No sooner than he thought this, Slick paused and turned around, waiting for Roddy to catch up. Clearly the uniformed man, in his absentminded rush, didn't notice the halted pokemon in his path.

"Aaaak!"

 _Thud. Thud. Ker_ plunk _!_

The unsuspecting man tripped over Slick and _crashed_ , bouncing head-over-heels down the stairs and landing in a sprawled heap on the floor of the cabin area.

"Oh no…" Roddy grimaced as he made his way to the staircase.

"Ugghhh…" the man groaned. He had lost his hat during the tumble, and Slick, having picked it up on his way down the stairs, was now offering it to him. "Huh?" he groaned again, still somewhat dazed. Then suddenly snapping out of it, he sprang up, snatching his hat from Slick's mouth. "Watch what you're doing you stupid varment! Who decided to let you run around like this anyway?" He shook his head disgustedly. "They oughta keep mangy pests like you locked up."

Slick shrank away from the man as he spun on his heel and stalked off down a corridor, presumably to his own bunk room.

Roddy, standing at the top of the staircase with his mouth open to ask the man if he was okay, slowly closed it. He was about to make his way down the stairs to where Slick was still crouched, dumbfounded, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw the captain standing with a sympathetic half-smile on his face.

"I don't know if it's warranted for me to apologize for that man's behavior, but I am sorry you and your Furret had to go through that," the captain offered.

Roddy, still slightly taken aback, stuttered, "I-I- we- didn't mean for h-him to-"

"I know, I know," the captain stopped him. "It's not anybody's fault. But I would suggest that you return your pokemon until we arrive at Slateport. There's going to be a lot of hectic people bustling around below deck, and I'd hate for another accident to happen."

"Okay," Roddy agreed. "I'll do that. Thanks." The captain smiled and nodded, then walked away to talk with some of the other passengers.

"It's all right, Slick," Roddy said as he walked down the stairs. "It was just an accident. That guy didn't have to be so nasty about it."

" _Ret,"_ Slick squeaked, seeming to brighten up a bit.

"But anyway, the captain suggested that you stay in your pokeball while I take care of our bunk room." Slick nodded affirmation, and then disappeared in a red glow as Roddy returned him to his pokeball.

"All right then," Roddy said to himself. "Let's get this done."

Eager to get back to the main deck so he could see the Hoenn region as they approached it, Roddy quickly gathered up his things and made his way up towards the bow of the ship. The upper deck of the _S.S. Bermuda_ was slowly filling up as people left their cabin spaces to see the ship into harbor.

"Oh, right!" Roddy flashed abruptly. "I've gotta let Slick see this, too!"

As Roddy reached into his jacket pocket for Slick's pokeball, his face went pale.

"Uh-oh…" All he managed to find in his pocket was half of a pack of gum and a bit of spare change. He frantically ran his hands over the rest of his jacket and pants pockets.

"Where did it go?" Roddy muttered, trying to recollect the last time he had held the pokeball. With a start, he realized that he must have left it down in the cabin area. Mumbling apologies as he made his way against the crowd of people yearning for an open spot at the front of the ship, Roddy finally got down the stairs to the cabin area. He rushed down the corridor to his own bunk room and threw open the door.

"Oh, thank goodness," Roddy said with a sigh of relief. The pokeball was setting on the nightstand beside the bed, seemingly untouched since Roddy was last there. He picked it up. "I think I'm gonna keep this little incident to myself," he said, albeit a little guiltily.

Keeping Slick's pokeball clenched firmly in hand, Roddy marched back up to the main deck of the ship. As soon as he got to an open space near the center of the ship, he released Slick from his pokeball.

" _Furret!"_ Slick pronounced, unaware of the fact that Roddy had forgotten him back in the bunk room. He scrambled up to Roddy's shoulder with a familiar instinctiveness.

"Okay bud, we're almost there!" Roddy said excitedly. They made their way to the railing, about midway down the starboard side. As Roddy leaned out over the railing to get a look at what lay ahead, he drew in a sharp intake of breath. "Would you look at that," he whispered.

Out in front of the ship, barely more than a mile away, lay the beautiful port of Slateport City. The port was set in the center of a stunning white sand beach, surrounded on both sides by majestic rocky bluffs. Even with the large, man-made shipping port, the beauty of the natural landscape rivaled the best of sorts in Johto.

Beyond the beach was the city of Slateport itself. Several large buildings towered into the skyline, and dozens of smaller shops and homes filled the basin in which the city was set. One building, it might've been a pokemon center, but they were still too far away to tell for certain, crowned the top of the left-hand bluff. Beyond all of this, the land was shaped into rolling hills, and was dotted with forests which were still colored a vibrant green this late in the year. Looking around the sides of the ship, Roddy could see several small islands which seemed to attract about as many people as the main beach itself did. Not a single sandbar within a half-mile of the mainland was left deserted. People were obviously trying to make the most of the remaining days until the seawater became uncomfortably cold. As lively as the beaches were, though, the elaborate, spacious port area itself was clearly the center of activity. Even from a distance Roddy could see that it was bustling with activity, as people prepared to board their ships or awaited family and friends coming into the city from different ships.

Excited murmurs and muted gasps emanated from all along the railing of the _S.S. Bermuda_ as people took in the complete grandeur of the fast-approaching land.

"Man, I wish we had time to stick around Slateport for a while," Roddy said yearningly.

The boat to which Roddy and Slick were to be transferred was supposedly owned by a local sailor, and he was expecting to be transporting them to Petalburg City today.

"I suppose we'll come back here sometime along our journey," Roddy stated, "but it's a bummer that we're here in a new city that we can't even explore yet."

" _Fur furr,"_ Slick agreed.

"I guess I should've said a new region…" Roddy trailed off. _Wow. We're in a_ new region _; a whole new world! To think that I've never set a foot outside of Johto before. And now here I am, halfway across the world. I can't wait to explore these new lands; to meet all sorts of new pokemon; and, most importantly, to begin my very own pokemon journey!_

* * *

 **So I've recently noticed that most Pokemon fanfics out there are rated at least K+, so I'm going to do that quick myself; just in case…. O_O**


	3. Chapter 3

**I think marching band ruined my ability to walk on snow and ice… Every time I step I push off and roll through, and half the time my whole foot slides backwards about three feet and it's probably the most awkward thing to watch (besides me actually trying to march… O_O). On the plus side I never actually fall, so I guess that's good… I guess…**

 **~Shadow**

* * *

The ship finally pulled alongside one of the larger docks and was tethered in. The passengers were greeted by the waves and cheers of dozens of friends and family members, as well as several chauffeurs holding signs with the names of the passengers they were to escort into the city.

"Okay, we're looking for a Captain Briney, Jr.," Roddy recalled, scanning the crowded wharf for some clue as to the captain's whereabouts. Almost before he could even put his hand over his brow to shade his eyes from the sun, a rumbling noise began to shake the ship deck, seemingly on cue. "Wai- wha-? Hold on!" Roddy said in protest as he was suddenly swept along with a sea of eager passengers making their way off of the _S.S. Bermuda._ He finally broke free of the crowd and was left standing on the wharf.

"Great," Roddy muttered. "Well, Slick, let's see if we can't find this Captain Briney."

" _Fur,"_ Slick said in affirmation.

They walked along a couple of different docks in the port area before finally coming across a small white boat with metal plating that read "Briney Seas" in foam-green paint. It was a cozy-looking craft, and Roddy guessed that it could probably fit a dozen people comfortably.

"Do you think this is it?" Roddy asked Slick.

Just then a door opened at the cockpit of the boat, and a young woman, probably in her late teens, stepped out onto the main deck. She was clad in a white sailor's uniform with light blue stripes. Her hat was colored with markings that to Roddy resembled some kind of bird's beak. She turned toward the dock, saw Roddy and Slick, and smiled.

"Hello!" she said. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Um," Roddy started. "We're looking for Captain Briney. Junior," he added, a bit hurriedly.

"Ahh. Hmhmhm," the woman chuckled. "Well, actually, that'd be me."

"O-oh!" Roddy stammered, embarrassed because the fact that Captain Briney might be a woman – a very young woman – had never occurred to him. "It's nice to meet you, Captain." He offered out his hand.

Captain Briney shook it, still smiling. "Most people actually just call me Rebecca," she said. "And I'll bet that you must be Roddy."

"That's right," Roddy said. "And this is Slick," he introduced Furret, gesturing up to his shoulder.

" _Furret furr!"_ Slick trilled happily, eyes squinted in pleasure.

"It's a pleasure to meet the both of you," Rebecca said. Then she stepped to the side and swept an arm out to the boat. "Feel free to board the _Briney Seas,"_ she offered proudly. Slick hopped smoothly down to the boat as Roddy stepped down himself. "So how was your trip over from Johto?" Rebecca asked.

"Well," Roddy began, "it actually rained for most of the trip. But it wasn't all too rough or anything. And once it cleared up today it was absolutely amazing!"

"It's fortunate that it didn't storm, then," Rebecca said. "A lot of times crossing the ocean can be a rough experience, especially this time of year." She unfastened the docking ropes and stowed them in a sub-deck compartment. "But it sounds like you guys made it okay."

" _Ret ret!"_ Slick confirmed. Rebecca smiled at the enthusiastic pokemon.

"I'm going to go ahead and start up the boat," she said. "You two are the only passengers for today, so feel free to hang around the deck and catch a glimpse of Hoenn's beautiful scenery. This is your first time visiting here, isn't that right?"

"Yup," Roddy said. "This is our first time outside of Johto."

"Well I really hope you enjoy yourselves then." As Rebecca opened the door to the cockpit, she turned around and added, "By the way, it shouldn't take much more than an hour to get us to Petalburg." She tapped the metal frame of the cockpit with a proud, wry grin. "She is a speedy little craft, after all."

* * *

After nearly an hour of zipping through the waves, leaving a foamy wake behind them, Roddy noticed a stretch of land lined with a handful of buildings. Up until this point, the only land they had seen was purely natural and undisturbed by mankind.

"You think that's Petalburg City?" Roddy asked Slick. "I thought it was going to be a little bigger than that…"

Just then Rebecca knocked on the window of the cockpit, gesturing for them to come inside. Roddy opened the door and entered the little enclosure, with Slick bounding along beside him.

"This is Dewford Town," Rebecca explained. "Some people call the whole area Dewford Island. There's not a whole lot to it, though; it's just a village, really. But it does have a pokemon gym, if you're into that kind of thing."

"Gyms… You need to earn gym badges in order to enter the Hoenn League, right?" Roddy inquired.

"I take it you're new to this, huh?" Rebecca grinned. "Are you going on a pokemon journey then?"

"Yup, that's right," Roddy said. "I would've journeyed in Johto, but with the drought and all, Professor Hawthorne figured I'd have better luck starting out over here in Hoenn. Oh, yeah, Hazel Hawthorne is the leading pokemon researcher in the Johto region," Roddy explained following an inquiring look from Rebecca.

"I see," she nodded thoughtfully. "Well, if you're looking for a place to start your journey, I would recommend visiting Professor Alexander Alder in Littleroot Town. He's very good with helping out new pokemon trainers. Littleroot Town actually isn't too far from Petalburg City, either."

"Okay, thanks for the advice. I'll have to do that," Roddy said. "You sure do know a lot about Hoenn," he added quizzically. "Do you travel around a lot as a pokemon trainer?"

"Oh, no," Rebecca replied. "I just happen to know a lot about this section of the Hoenn region because this is where I grew up. I've been sailing these waters my whole life. My grandfather, the original Captain Briney, moved to Hoenn many years ago and built our family's cabin along the ocean shore just west of Petalburg. He actually started this little ferrying business many years ago with a boat that he built himself."

"Oh, wow," Roddy said, fascinated by Rebecca's story. "Is everyone in your family a captain in the business, then?"

Rebecca shook her head. "I'm actually the only one ferrying passengers around right now. Although Grandpa is still quite the avid sailor; if Grandma lets him out of the house, that is."

They both laughed at Rebecca's humorous description of her family. Then Roddy asked, "You said you grew up around Petalburg City, right? Do you by chance know a Lorraine Wester?"

Rebecca thought for a moment. "I do know the name, but I can't say that I've ever met her in person," she said. "I take it you know her?"

"Yup," Roddy replied. "She's actually my aunt. I'm going to stay with her and my cousins until I'm ready to start on my journey."

"Ahh, I see," Rebecca said.

Their conversation was interrupted when Slick suddenly perked up, ears twitching, and hopped up onto a window ledge.

" _Ret!"_ he chirped.

Roddy glanced out the window and saw that they were approaching a wide, sandy beach, dominated by one large wooden house and a long wooden dock jutting out into the water.

"Welp, here we are!" Rebecca grinned. "Welcome to the Briney Estate!"

* * *

 **Soooooo this chapter was a bit shorter... My apologies. *bows profusely* The next chapters should be a little longer. Hopefully. Okay, I can't promise anything for certain, but I will see what happens! It's the thought that counts, right? :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Those stutter steps you take to line up your footing followed by that awkward lunge over a puddle of water or mud in the middle of the sidewalk. Yup. I see ya. *-_-**

* * *

"Roddy! Hey, Roddy!"

Roddy turned to look at the beach and saw two younger kids waving excitedly and running along the shore toward the dock.

" _Furrret! Ret!"_ Slick trilled excitedly as he sprang out the door and onto the white metal railing of the _Briney Seas._

"Hey, it's April and Jackson!" Roddy said as he followed the energetic pokemon out onto the deck of the boat. He couldn't stop a huge grin from breaking out across his face. "Hey guys!" he shouted out toward the shore, waving his arms high over his head.

Rebecca smoothly brought the small boat to rest alongside the wooden dock. Before she even got the chance to tie off the anchor lines, April came flying down the dock and leaped into the boat, causing it to lurch violently and knocking Roddy off-balance.

"Whoa- hey!" Roddy gasped as April slammed into him, knocking the wind out of him. They both toppled down onto the wooden deck of the boat. April bounced back to her feet, giggling, as Roddy got to his feet more slowly, brushing himself off as he did so.

"Hehe! Sorry about that, cuz!" She apologized, not looking sorry at all.

Roddy assumed an expression of mock rage. "You should be sorry!" he stormed. "And this isn't your boat, you know. You oughta be ashamed of yourself!" April backed off a pace, looking truly unnerved. Then Roddy broke out into a grin again, laughing. "It's really good to see you again, April!"

"Hey!" April protested, battering Roddy with a series of punches. They both laughed.

Roddy looked over April's shoulder to where Jackson stood, still on the dock, a smile twitching on his surprisingly serious features. _He really looks like he's grown up a lot since I last saw him,_ Roddy thought to himself. "Hey there Jackson!" Roddy called up to him.

Jackson finally gave in to the suppressed smile. "Hi Roddy!" he beamed down at his cousin. "How was your trip over here from Johto?"

"Oh, I can't complain too much," Roddy grinned. "I had Slick to keep me company, after all." Slick chirped enthusiastically at the mention of his name.

There was an excited intake of breath from April, who just now noticed the striped pokemon.

"Woowww!" she squealed. "What is he? He's so cute!" She ran over and scooped Slick up in her arms.

 _"Furret furr!"_ Slick trilled contentedly, pleased with all the attention he was getting.

"Hahaha," Roddy chuckled at his younger cousin's enthusiasm. "He's a Furret. My dad actually raised him, but we've become such good buddies that my dad let him come along with me on my journey."

By now Rebecca had the boat secured firmly to the dock and was looking on at the exchange with amusement. "So I take it these are your cousins?" she asked Roddy.

"Oh ya, right!" Roddy hastily introduced them. "This is April and that's Jackson. They're Lorraine's kids, my cousins."

April and Jackson were slightly taken aback by the sight of a fully-uniformed captain, and slightly embarrassed that they hadn't introduced themselves sooner. April was especially red, as she had jumped aboard the boat without so much as a glance at its owner. As Roddy introduced her to Rebecca, she straightened up hurriedly and put her hand to her head in a feeble attempt at an official salute.

"G-good afternoon Ca-captain Briney!" she stuttered, trying to be professional. Rebecca was well-known in this area of Hoenn, as was the rest of her family.

Jackson, caught off guard by his sister's mannerism, hastily tried to imitate her composure. "Y-yes, good afternoon Captain!" he managed.

Rebecca glanced sideways at Roddy and smiled mischievously. Then she donned a serious expression and turned back to the twins. "Ahoy," she said sternly. Then, glaring straight at April, she said, "Now that you've boarded my ship-without permission I might add-I hope you're prepared to pay the standard travel fee." She looked down on April with a devilish smirk.

"Ahh!" April shrieked, jumping back to the safety of the dock behind Jackson. "I- bu- I didn't know!" she wailed. "I'm so sorry, Captain Briney!" She lowered her head in an apologetic manner. "Please forgive me! See, I don't exactly have any money…" she pleaded, folding and unfolding her hands nervously.

Rebecca couldn't keep herself composed any longer. She finally gave in and burst into a fit of laughter, with Roddy joining in moments later. April and Jackson stared at them, puzzled, for several moments. Then comprehension dawned on Jackson, and he too started laughing. When April finally realized that she was the victim of another joke, she puffed out her cheeks with a _"hmmph."_

"Oh come on!" she protested. "Why is everyone messing with me today?"

"I'm sorry, April," Rebecca managed, still recovering from her bout of laughter. "It is very nice to meet you. And you as well, Jackson." Jackson, still slightly red in the face, inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"That's a neat little craft you have there, Captain," he said. "How old is she?"

Rebecca, impressed by the younger boy's confident formality, replied, "I actually bought this one in Slateport City just a couple years ago. She's called _Briney Seas._ " She looked proudly over the small boat with a certain fondness.

Jackson nodded his understanding, while Roddy tilted his head with a questioning look. Guessing what he was thinking, Rebecca answered the unspoken question. "Slateport City is home to the largest shipyard in all of Hoenn," she explained. "They make all sorts of boats and ships, and keep advancing the technology of the shipbuilding process. In fact, my grandfather worked there for a short while when he had spare time with the ferrying business. He actually helped design one of the first high-speed electric engines for nautical use. _Briney Seas_ has an upgraded, miniaturized model of his engine design." Jackson seemed to be the only one of the three who fully understood what Rebecca was saying, while Roddy and April nodded along thoughtfully, attempting to appear as if they knew what she was talking about. Fortunately Rebecca didn't notice this, because as soon as she finished speaking she looked out in the sky behind where everyone was standing and called out, "Hey there Pieka!"

Curious as to who she was talking to, Roddy, April, and Jackson all turned in unison and looked around. At first they didn't see anyone, but then a high-pitched, mellifluous cry sounded from above them.

"Hey, it's a Swablu!" April proclaimed.

The light blue bird descended down toward the group, folding in its cottony wings as it landed on Rebecca's outstretched arm.

" _Too-ablu!"_ it twittered blissfully.

"That's right," Rebecca said. "Her name is Pieka. She usually comes along with me on the _Briney Seas_. She's a great help with keeping an eye out for rocks and sandbars or other ships."

" _Furret!"_ Slick trilled amiably, excited to meet another pokemon.

" _Blu blu!"_ Pieka chirped in response. She hopped down onto the deck, where she and Slick began conversing animatedly with various melodic chirps.

Rebecca smiled down warmly at the small blue pokemon. "I bet you've never seen a Swablu, huh, Roddy?"

"No, I haven't actually," he admitted. "I take it they're exclusive to the Hoenn region, then?"

"As far as I know," she replied.

"So where was your Swablu today, then? Didn't you say she usually rides along on the boat with you?" Roddy queried.

Rebecca smiled. "Even pokemon need a day off every now and then. I left her behind so she could relax here at home," she said. "Pieka loves spending time in Petalburg Woods. There are lots of nice trees and berry bushes there that are just perfect for bird pokemon."

"Wow, I'll have to check that out sometime," Roddy said. "I actually come from a family of berry farmers, and I'd be curious to see if there are different types of berries here and how they grow here compared to back home."

"Well, I'm no expert like you seem to be," Rebecca quipped, "but I sure think the berries are great here in Hoenn."

"Mmmhm!" April confirmed.

Something nearby emitted a low, rumbling growl. Jackson, turning red, put one hand on his belly and one behind his head. "Hehe," he uttered with a sheepish grin. "I guess all of this talk about berries has made me hungry."

The others all laughed. Then April recovered abruptly and exclaimed, "Oh shoot! Mom was going to have supper ready for us after we got Roddy from the Briney Estate!"

"That's right!" Jackson started. "We don't want to keep her waiting too long." He looked over at Rebecca apologetically.

"Oh, no, it's fine," she assured him. "I wouldn't wanna make you late for anything. After all, it is my job to get people to their destination on time. I wouldn't want to mar my so-far-perfect reputation," she said with a wink. Everyone laughed at the witty remark.

"Well, it was really nice to meet you, Rebecca. And thanks for shipping me over here from Slateport," Roddy said with a gratifying smile.

"No problem at all," Rebecca affirmed. "And it was really nice to meet you, too, Roddy. As well as you two, Jackson and April." She nodded toward each one in turn.

" _Furret furrret!"_ Slick expressed his farewell to Rebecca and Pieka.

" _Swabluu!"_ Pieka tweeted back.

"Goodbye Captain Brine- er… Rebecca!" Jackson and April said together.

Roddy stepped up onto the dock beside his cousins, with Slick bouncing up beside him.

"Goodbye, all of you," Rebecca said. "I hope we get the chance to meet again soon!"

"Agreed!" Roddy, Jackson, and April all said in unison, with Slick even voicing his agreement.

As the small group turned to make their way back up the dock, Rebecca added, "Oh hey, and good luck starting out on your pokemon journey, Roddy!"

"Thanks Rebecca!" he called back, grinning. "I'll do my best!"

The excited, hungry trio, along with Slick, made their way up the dock toward the mainland. As Roddy stepped off of the hard, wooden dock and onto the luscious, springy grass beyond the beach, he felt a shiver of exhilaration course through his body. After all of those hours in boats on the water, he could finally experience first-hand the expansive natural landscape that he had seen only from a distance. He could smell a new fragrance in the air, tantalizingly sweet, which may have been more a product of his raving mindset than it was an actual scent. As the group walked along toward Jackson and April's home, Roddy thought to himself: _These are my first steps toward a new goal; a new life. Starting now I'm going to make every one count as if it was the last step that I could ever take._

* * *

 **There. Finally made it to location; now we can start shooting the film! Bear with me, guys!**

 **~Shadow**


	5. Chapter 5

**Anybody else have trouble with those darn CAPTCHA codes? I mean even I, a "human," can't tell if that's a one or a two!**

 **~Shadow**

* * *

"Here we are!" April announced, running up to the lone wooden house and skipping up the steps to the front deck. It was a cozy-looking home, made from dark pine logs stacked up to meet a roof of pine planking interspersed with dark thatching. The front deck was set three steps off the ground and was furnished with a neat glass table, complete with an overhead umbrella. Half a dozen wooden chairs were placed around the table and against the wall of the house itself. Two circular windows overlooked the deck, and light from inside the house spilled out into the gathering darkness. Roddy could faintly see ripples of smoke floating softly from a red-bricked chimney at the peak of the roof.

"So this is where you guys live then," Roddy stated. "I was thinking you lived closer to the city."

"Nope," Jackson replied. "Our place is closer to the forest, but Petalburg's only about three miles from here, so it's a nice little spot to live."

"Sounds convenient," Roddy remarked.

"Sure is; we can get around to the city whenever we need to, but we also get the luxury of being out here in the countryside and away from all the commotion."

"You said you live by the forest… I take it that's Petalburg Woods?"

"See all of the trees out behind the house? That's actually considered to be part of Petalburg Woods, although it doesn't really thicken up until you get a good half-mile into it."

"Ah," Roddy said in understanding as they walked up the steps to the deck. April had already gone inside, and the door was still slightly open.

"Oh, hey, you should probably call back your Furret; Mom doesn't like us having pokemon out inside the house."

Roddy turned to look at Jackson, the curious surprise on his face all to evident, even in the dusk. "Wait, you guys have your own pokemon?"

"Well, yeah, of course we do," Jackson replied slowly with a puzzled look at his older cousin. "Why wouldn't we have our own pokemon?"

"I dunno," Roddy said thoughtfully. "I guess back in Johto not a lot of younger kids were pokemon trainers."

"Really?" Jackson said, surprised. "Almost everybody here in Hoenn has their own pokemon. Not saying that we're all aiming to be pokemon trainers," he quickly added. "I, for instance, want to be a pokemon analyst. But I still have my own pokemon, too."

"Huh. You two will have to let me see your pokemon later," Roddy insisted. "I'm hoping to find as many new pokemon here in Hoenn as I can."

"Haha, alright," Jackson agreed. Then he added thoughtfully, "Have you considered becoming a pokemon field scout? You'd get tons of chances to observe different types of pokemon that way."

"I don't know… I think I just want to be a pokemon trainer, and hopefully I'll meet all sorts of new pokemon on my journey," Roddy replied, pausing at the doorway. "Oh ya, Slick, you'll have to stay in your pokeball for a while now."

" _Furret,"_ Slick affirmed, and Roddy returned him to his pokeball with a flash of red light.

Jackson stepped past Roddy and pushed the door open. The two of them entered the house, swinging the door closed behind them.

The interior of the house matched the impression Roddy got by seeing it from the outside perfectly. They stepped into a room which Roddy figured was the kitchen; an old-fashioned rectangular wooden table set in the center of the room, and along one of the walls there was an old wood stove, a wash basin, and a rack from which hung various cooking utensils. The only trace of modern living in the room was a small refrigerator, which was cleverly camouflaged alongside a row of wooden cupboards. From the narrow glimpses Roddy got of the adjacent rooms, he could tell that the old-fashioned style carried on throughout the entirety of the wooden house. Small antiques and thrifty artifacts were neatly displayed in each of the rooms, giving the quaint little cabin a sense of homely richness.

As Roddy was absorbing the unfamiliar features of his cousin's home, Jackson swung the door shut with a sharp clack. The sudden noise caused a woman who was leaning over the wash basin to turn away from her task and look over at the two new arrivals.

"Roddy!" she exclaimed, breaking into a huge, affectionate smile. Quickly drying her hands on a woolen towel, she made her way over to the two boys, reaching her arms out to embrace her nephew. "It's been too long!"

Roddy smiled awkwardly as he was squeezed into a massive hug. "It's great to see you, Aunt Lorraine."

When Lorraine finally released Roddy from the embrace, he hastily sucked in a breath that he had lost from the crushing force of his aunt's hug. This seemed to go unnoticed by Lorraine, though, as she continued her bubbly fussing over her nephew.

"So how's the family back home? I hope they weren't too upset with sending you off on your own like this. And what about the trip over here? Did you run into any trouble? And speaking of trouble, I hope my kids didn't bother you too much," Lorraine rambled on energetically.

Jackson, who had been quietly snickering to himself as Roddy was being assaulted with his mother's affection, promptly straightened up and glared at her after the last remark.

"Of course we didn't _bother_ him, mother!" April said with a mock-hurt look on her face, which didn't fool any of them as she practically bounced into the room. "Since when do we ever _bother_ anybody?" Lorraine struggled to defend herself as her daughter playfully attempted to bat her on the head in retaliation.

Roddy smiled at the exchange between his aunt and cousin as the two of them burst into warm-hearted laughter. _The apple sure didn't fall far from the tree with that one._ "So how have you guys been, Aunt Lorraine?"

Lorraine turned her attention back to her nephew. "Oh, just grand! I've been keeping busy with my little crafting business, and these two have been keeping busy just growing up so fast!" She wrapped an arm around each of her children's shoulders as she said this and pulled them into an awkward family hug.

"Mom, cut it out," Jackson protested as he tried to free himself from his mother's iron grip.

The twins finally escaped Lorraine's massive hug, and April perked up, sniffing the air. "What did you make for supper, Mom?" she asked eagerly.

"Oh, just some chicken alfredo," Lorraine replied. All three kids dawned bright, almost drooling, expressions when she said this. "And some mushroom stew, and roast beef, and fruit salad, and vegetable salad, and nachos, and…"

"Mom!" Jackson and April interrupted with disbelieving panic. "How many people are you trying to feed-"

Lorraine burst into a fit of hearty chuckles. "Oh, you two," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Of course I didn't make all of that." Jackson and April sighed in relief. "I mean, really; why would I make a vegetable salad?" She spun back to prepare the meal, chuckling once again.

April turned to look at her brother. "Does that mean…?"

"I think so…" Jackson groaned. They both lowered their heads, sighing, and followed their mom to help with supper.

* * *

After the fulfilling five-course meal, all three kids were profoundly tired. April seemed to be the worst off out of all of them. They were helping to wash and dry dishes when she started to doze off. Fortunately, Jackson noticed what was happening a split second before she started to go down.

"Oh, no you don't," he said, reaching out towards his falling sister. Just in time, he snatched a ceramic casserole dish out of April's hands before it went down with her.

"Oof!" April started as she hit the floor, slightly confused as to how she ended up there.

"Gotcha!" Jackson proclaimed, holding the dish up triumphantly.

"Hmph. You coulda got me too," April mumbled, rubbing her head tenderly.

Lorraine smiled down sympathetically at her daughter. "You guys are all really tired, and I bet Roddy here hasn't gotten a decent night's sleep for a while now. I can finish up these dishes; you all get some sleep."

"Are you sure, Mom?" Jackson asked.

"Yes, now go before I change my mind," she threatened.

"Okay. Goodnight!" the twins called back in unison. The three kids walked through a nice-sized, cozy living room and stood outside of two adjacent doorways, presumably leading to each of the twins' bedrooms.

Just as April was opening the door to her room, she paused and turned back to Jackson and Roddy. "Oh, hey, don't forget Lily is stopping by tomorrow," she said.

"Oh ya, I almost forgot!" Jackson said. "Do you think she'll wanna battle this time?"

"Hey, I just thought of something!" April sparked up. "With Roddy here we could have a two-on-two battle!"

"A double battle! That'd be awesome!" Jackson exclaimed in turn.

"You have had pokemon battles before, right Roddy?" April asked.

"Wel-" Roddy was cut off by Jackson's matter-of-fact remark.

"Of course he has; he's like, three years older than us, April."

Roddy tried to interject again; "Actua-"

"Duh, you're right, Jackson. He must be really good... I call him for my team!"

"Hey! Not fair! We should pick teams tomorrow, when Lily's here. Right, Roddy?"

Roddy, still overwhelmed with the entire development, managed to let out a "Y-ya, right."

"Fine, fine, we'll pick tomorrow," April conceded, stepping into her room. "Night, guys!"

"Night, Sis!"

"Night," Roddy echoed, his mind still reeling. _Welp, so much for letting them know I've never been in a pokemon battle before..._

"Hey, you coming, Roddy?" Jackson called out from inside the other room. "You better hurry up before I forget about being a good host and make _you_ sleep on the floor."

Roddy shook himself out of it and chuckled. "I'm coming, I'm coming." _It doesn't matter if we don't have any battle experience. Me and Slick have been through a lot together; we're a great team. We'll find a way to come out on top, I just know it._

* * *

 **Sorry about the late update! I've been really busy with… uh… you know… *frantically racks mind for good excuse* But hey, I'll try to post the next chapter sooner than usual! If you're looking for a good read in the meantime, check out Until Dusk by Whispersofadragon. Great story, and a lot more action than mine has so far! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe!**

… **this isn't YouTube this isn't YouTube come on Shadow you know better than that now shut up already they're still here and probably judging you bye…**


	6. Chapter 6

**So much for an early update… But hey! On the bright side there's finally a little bit of action…or something…in this chapter, and it's actually the longest one yet (well over 2,000 words, woot!). So hopefully that makes it worth the wait! ^_^**

 **~Shadow**

* * *

"Come on, Roddy, wake up!"

"Ugghh….." Roddy groaned.

"Ya, Lily could be here any minute now!"

"Mwrehhh….."

"Besides, don't you wanna see our Hoenn-exclusive pokemon?"

Roddy's eyes snapped open at this last remark from Jackson. He really was looking forward to meeting new pokemon, and the grin breaking slowly across his face did nothing to hide the fact.

"Ha! I knew you were awake!" April accused. "Now hurry up and get ready!"

As the two younger kids bounced out of the room, Roddy threw off his blanket and stretched. "Hhmmm. Looks like a nice enough day out there," he remarked casually to himself as he slipped on an old t-shirt. A pair of ragged jeans with a belt to which he clipped Slick's pokeball completed the outfit. "Alright, bud, let's go see what all the fuss is about, shall we?"

No sooner than he'd closed the front door, he heard the anxious, exasperated calls from his cousins.

"I'm coming, guys," he assured them. Following their voices, he walked around the side of the house and retraced the path they had taken the day before from the Briney Estate. After a couple of minutes he came across a small clearing. It wasn't really inside the forest, yet it was far enough off the path that when Roddy turned around he couldn't see the house anymore.

"About time you got here," April huffed impatiently.

"Sorry, guys. My agility isn't up to par yet," Roddy said with a wry grin. Both twins shook their heads pitifully at the weak pun. "Anyway…" Roddy began, reaching for his pokeball.

"Hey, wait! Ours first!" April stopped him, grabbing her own pokeball out of her small drawstring bag. "This way it'll be like a surprise for Furret!"

"If you say so," Roddy conceded, putting his hands in his pockets.

Jackson, who already had his pokeball in hand, held it out and pressed the button. "Okay, come on out Streak!"

"I choose you, Swoop!"

Two flashes of red light produced two small pokemon with simultaneous _pop whoosh click_ 's of their pokeballs. A tiny raccoon-like pokemon tilted its head and blinked up at Roddy, while an even tinier bird pokemon glided in graceful circles above the small group, emitting a series of pleasant chirps. Jackson's pokemon waddled cautiously over to Roddy and began sniffing his shoes.

"Wow, these two are really neat," Roddy exclaimed, reaching down to pet the small creature. It looked up at him with narrowed eyes, but they soon closed in satisfaction when Roddy found a sweet spot behind its ears. "What kind of pokemon are they?"

"Streak here is a Zigzagoon," Jackson explained. The small pokemon let out a happy rumble at the sound of its name. "And April has a Taillow."

"Yup!" April confirmed. "Come on down, Swoop!" The little bird hovered for a second, then descended in a spiraling dive, pulling up at the last moment to land on April's outstretched forearm. "Say hi to Roddy. He's our cousin from the Johto region."

"Hey there, Swoop," Roddy greeted the Taillow. "How are ya?"

" _Tay tay!"_ Swoop twittered in reply.

"Has he always been such an avid flyer?" Roddy asked.

"Well," April began, "I could tell even before I caught him that he was especially keen of flying stunts and whatnot. That's actually the reason I went after him instead of the other Taillow I saw." She glanced over at her twin brother, putting her hands behind her back. "Ever since we've been together, we've been practicing different techniques and tricks to get ready for…" She paused again, tapping one toe, and looked at the ground. "For... contest battling," she finished, blushing.

"You want to be a pokemon coordinator?" Jackson blurted out incredulously.

"And what's so bad about that?" April snapped back, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. "It's not any worse than wanting to be a pokemon _analyst_!"

"Hey! Hold on! I never said it was a bad thing!" Jackson stammered in defense.

"You're right. You just think it's a _joke_!"

By this point Swoop had gone back to zipping through the air in intricate patterns, while Steak was pawing at Jackson's leg and pleading up at him with big brown eyes.

"I didn't say that either! I just didn't expe-" Roddy cut him off and stepped between the arguing siblings.

"Okay, guys, just hold on a second." He paused, looking from one cousin to the other. Then, grimacing, he took a deep breath and said, "I don't have any idea what either of you are even talking about right now…"

The twins froze, dumbfounded, and blinked slowly at their older cousin.

"You don-"

"Wha- do you… mean?"

Roddy took another breath. "I've never heard of a pokemon coordinator or a pokemon analyst…"

Jackson scratched his head, looking even more confused. "I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to become a pokemon analyst. Didn't… I…?"

"And you mean there aren't… contests… in Johto?" April added her bewilderment.

"Well, you did, Jackson, but I had no idea what you meant… exactly… I was going to ask you… eventually… And April, either I lived a very sheltered life back in Johto, or… 'Cause… I've never heard of a pokemon coordinator… or a contest…"

Jackson slowly leaned to the side and looked at his sister. "Hmm," he said. "You know, for someone your age, Roddy…"

A slow grin began to spread across April's face, despite her effort to hide it. "I mean, you're practically an adult, Roddy," she jested, dawning a serious tone.

"Phht!" Jackson bursted, spitting on the ground just inches in front of Roddy. "To think I looked up to you!" He spun on his heel, crossing his arms, and pretended to storm off. Streak took a couple of bounds toward his trainer, paused, looked back at Roddy and April, and hesitantly began to take another step after Jackson.

April couldn't help it any longer. She burst into a fit of laughter, which caused the already confused Zigzagoon to start and spin back around to see what was going on. Jackson turned around too, grinning, and walked back toward the group, picking up his pokemon on the way.

"Sorry 'bout that, Roddy," he said, with Zigzagoon in his arms. "You know I was just messing with ya." Leaning a little closer, he added, "I saw what you did there, you know."

Roddy threw a hand up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Haha, well, you know…" Coughing a little, he added, "I really don't know what either of those things are, though…"

Jackson suppressed a chuckle. "Well, a pokemon analyst examines pokemon to determine their strengths and weaknesses. They study movesets and unique abilities, and also test the compatibility between a pokemon and its trainer. Then they can advise the trainer about what the pokemon is best at, what the trainer should work on, and special ways they can train and care for all of their pokemon."

"Wow," Roddy said, impressed. "That's quite the job description."

"Oh, well you know," Jackson said hurriedly, afraid he might've overdone it. "It all goes together, really. I mean, with enough study and experience, it should all come together quite easily."

"Still, I bet you have to have a certain knack for working with pokemon and their trainers," Roddy continued.

"Oh, he's got that knack, alright," April said proudly. "You should see how he works with Streak. And he's even given Lily and me some pointers about our own battle styles." Jackson tried hard not to blush at his sister's praise. "He's basically a professional already!"

Hastily changing the subject, Jackson asked, "So, uh, April, how long have you been thinking about coordinating?"

Now it was April's turn to redden slightly. "Oh, you know… A couple of months or so. I mean, ever since we met Lily, I guess."

"That was almost a year ago, Sis!"

April began to scuff her shoe across the ground in front of her. "Ya, well when we first met her she told us she used to compete in contests. I asked her about them later, and she told me the coolest stories!" She looked up at her brother with a mischievous smile. "I did a pretty good job at keeping it a secret, though, didn't I?"

Jackson shook his head. "Ya, I guess. But why keep it a secret?"

"I thought you might think I was stupid if I told you… I mean, with your big plans of becoming a pokemon analyst…"

Jackson walked over to his sister and, out of nowhere, cuffed her on the head.

"Ow! Hey, what wa-"

"Stupid! Who would ever think that's stupid? Just think about it!" He wrapped one arm around April's shoulders, using the other one to illustrate. "Someday you're gonna go on your very own journey! You'll get to travel all over the region, and compete in all sorts of contests! And, someday, you'll even get to compete in the master class and become the top pokemon coordinator! Who would ever dare to consider any of that stupid?" April beamed a huge smile at her brother's high-hope description.

Roddy, meanwhile, slowly began to raise one hand. The twins looked questioningly at him until he began. "Um, speaking of stupid… What exactly does a coordinator do again?"

Both kids grinned at their cousin's humor. "A pokemon coordinator," April began to explain, "is a pokemon trainer but, instead of battling gyms, they compete in contests with their pokemon. Contests have different appeals where you show off a pokemon's appearance and skills, and there's even a special type of timed battle that's judged by a pokemon's performance as well as the outcome of the match itself. Basically, you have to fight hard and look good doing it."

"Interesting. I've never heard of something like that," Roddy remarked. "But I take it it's pretty popular here in Hoenn?"

"You bet it is!" said April. "The master class contest is just as famous here as the Hoenn pokemon league championship!"

As the three trainers were talking amongst themselves, the pokemon were keeping busy with antics of their own. Swoop was flying around overhead, while Streak crouched down into an aggressive stance, tail waving, trying to get the other pokemon to join the game. After several moments of being ignored, Streak let out a keen bark, seeming to taunt the bird pokemon. As Swoop glanced down, Streak lashed his tail and let out a low growl.

This did the trick.

Swoop circled once over Streak's head, then broke into a sharp dive. At the last moment, Streak leapt high into the air, and the flying pokemon passed harmlessly underneath him. Aggravated at having missed his mark, Swoop quickly spun into another dive. Expecting the same evasive maneuver as the last time, he pulled up right before he would have made contact with the furry pokemon. Streak, however, outsmarted the flying-type once again. Instead of leaping straight upwards this time, he lunged backwards as Swoop pulled up into the air. Then, before the Taillow got too high up, he leapt and tackled it right out of the sky.

" _Tay!"_ Swoop cried out in surprise. The two pokemon came crashing to the ground, where Streak immediately pinned his struggling opponent to the ground, trapping its wings against its body with his hind legs.

" _Zig! Zag!"_ Streak called out triumphantly.

The sound of the pokemon hitting the ground had finally captured the attention of the kids, who by now had made their way over to the scene.

"Hahaha!" Jackson laughed. "Looks like you did a nice job here, Streak."

" _Zagoon!"_ the pokemon purred warmly at his owner's praise.

April, meanwhile, had wrestled her pokemon free from the Zigzagoon's grip, and was smoothing its ruffled feathers with a special brush. "It's okay, Swoop. We're gonna battle later with Lily and Roddy, and we'll get 'em back then, when it counts."

" _Low!"_ Swoop nodded his agreement, with a fierce look at the raccoon pokemon.

"What do you mean, _later,_ April? I say we get this battle started now!"

Roddy turned to look at the source of the voice, and saw a girl whom he didn't recognize walking toward the small group. April, however, obviously knew who the newcomer was, for she immediately got up and rushed over to her, with the half-groomed Taillow still in her arms.

"Lily!" she called out excitedly. "You finally made it!"

* * *

 **You may be wondering why my usual story/joke/awkward…thing…wasn't at the beginning of this chapter. Well, that's just it. Not having a joke is the joke! Get it? Get it?!**

… **you don't get it… do you…**

 **Oh well, 'cause neither do I! Hahaha!**

… **that may have been the most awkward thing you've typed up yet, Shadow… please just give it a rest… thanks…**


	7. Chapter 7

**I hate when you're walking outside when there's snow on the ground and the sun is shining. So you're basically snow blind, right? Then when you go inside a darker building your eyes have to adjust to the dimmer light, ya know? Then somebody says hi to you, using your name, and you try to squint back at them to see who they are, but my eyes are still adjusting, so all I can say is HEY! HOW'S IT GOING!? in a super cheesy way! *Shadow pants heavily, catching breath* …did I say "I" in that story?.. cause this totally happened to a friend… never happens to me… *cough, splurt, clears throat for a moment too long, turns around quickly and power walks awkwardly away***

 **(walkwardly?.. awkwalkly?... wackaklackawdaw…ly...away...)**

* * *

It took some effort for Roddy to break his gaze from the newcomer, Lily. He was expecting her to be the same age as his cousins, so it surprised him to see that she appeared to be closer to his own age than the twins'. She was a remarkably attractive girl, but, even though she carried herself with a confident air, she seemed quite modest of that fact. Her golden blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a pink beanie that resembled a love ball over her head. As April ran up to greet her. Roddy noticed, with a chuckle, that her cool, confident exterior overlaid a personality that was nearly as bubbly as the younger girl's.

"Hey April! And yes, I _finally_ made it," Lily teased.

"Well," April began, "we have been waiting for you all morning…"

"Well I'm here now, so let's get to it!" Lily exclaimed, walking towards the center of the clearing. "Oh, and April," she added with a sly grin, "I hope you don't let that little furball of your brother's get the better of you in the real battle." April's face went a little red and Streak let out a low growl from where he was sitting beside Jackson, who was smirking rather confidently.

Roddy was still standing in the middle of the clearing, and he took a step towards Lily as she approached. "So I take it you're Lily," he began. "My name's Ro-"

"Save the introductions for later, farmboy," she interrupted, walking past him. "I came here to battle!"

Roddy stood, dumbfounded, and watched Lily walk to the far side of the clearing. "Come on, April!" she called out. "I can't wait here all morning for you!"

"Hey now!" April called back, running over to stand beside Lily.

"I guess that's one way to pick teams," Jackson commented wryly to himself. Roddy started as a hand slapped him on the shoulder. "I guess it's you and me then, Roddy," Jackson told him. When Roddy gave him a blank look, he added, "We're starting the battle now."

"Oh, right!" Roddy said, shaking his head. He reached inside his jacket pocket nervously, fumbling for his pokeball. _Man, I've never actually battled before…_ Roddy thought to himself. _I don't have the faintest clue of what I'm supposed to do! But I can't let Jackson and April think that I'm an amateur… or Lily either._ Roddy finally got a firm hold on the pokeball and, clutching it in one hand, called out, "Come on out Slick!"

Furret appeared out of the glow, nose twitching. " _Ret!_ " the curious pokemon exclaimed, spotting Jackson's Zigzagoon. He bounced over towards the tiny raccoon pokemon, who shrank back cautiously.

"It's alright, Streak," Jackson assured him. Streak looked up at his trainer and gave him a questioning look. "That's Slick; he's Roddy's Furret," Jackson explained. Streak nodded and barked his understanding, then turned back to sniff the new pokemon.

Jackson turned his attention back to his cousin, saying, "Those two seem to get along just fine." He clenched his fist confidently. "We should make a pretty good team!"

From across the clearing, Roddy saw Lily throw a pokeball into the air. With a pop and a flash of light, a small pale-yellow pokemon with red markings and big red ears appeared in the air. After performing a series of seemingly effortless flips, it landed on the ground, spinning smoothly on one foot.

"Wow," Roddy remarked, impressed. "What kind of pokemon is that?"

"That's Sparky, Lily's Plusle," Jackson explained. "It's an electric-type pokemon, and it uses lots of tricky status moves."

Roddy wasn't completely sure what Jackson meant, but he didn't let his ignorance show. "I see. Sounds like this could be an interesting battle," he said.

"With those two," Jackson replied, "every battle is interesting."

"Hey! Are we gonna start this thing anytime soon? I just can't wait to humiliate you guys!" Lily jested at them from the other side of the clearing.

"We're ready if you are!" Jackson called back. Turning to Roddy he added, "Be careful, Roddy; she gets pretty fierce over any kind of competition."

Lily's Plusle was already stationed near the center of the mock battlefield, while April's Taillow flapped just a few feet above. With a nod at Streak, Jackson sent his Zigzagoon trotting out to face them. Roddy, exchanging a glance with Slick, hurried to do the same.

"Go get em, bud," he said encouragingly.

"You two can have the first move!" Lily called across to the two boys.

"You're gonna regret saying that!" Jackson retorted. "Are you ready Roddy?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of the battlefield. All of the pokemon had fierce expressions and looked ready to go, except for Sparky, who looked almost bored with the proceedings.

 _Man, Lily's Plusle certainly looks confident,_ Roddy thought to himself.

Jackson seemed to notice Roddy's uncertainty, saying, "Don't be intimidated by Sparky; I think those two purposely put on that act to unnerve their opponents."

 _Well it's certainly working…_ Roddy thought grimly.

"Alright," Jackson began, "I think we should attack them together and get the most out of our strength advantage. And since Swoop's in the air, let's go for Sparky first."

As inexperienced as he was, Roddy could see the logic in his younger cousin's strategy. "Okay," he said, "let's do this!"

"Streak, use tackle on Plusle!" Jackson bellowed. The usually quiet boy's booming, authoritative voice impressed Roddy. As the Zigzagoon dashed off toward the small yellow and red pokemon, Slick turned back to look expectantly at Roddy.

"Oh, right," Roddy stumbled. "Uh, Slick, you tackle Sparky, too."

Streak was closing in on Sparky, who was preparing to dodge, when Slick dashed by, overtaking the raccoon pokemon. The small electric pokemon let out a screech of surprise as Furret slammed directly into it with a lowered head.

"Sparky!" Lily gasped.

"Don't worry," April assured her partner. "Swoop, dive down and use peck on Zigzagoon!"

April's Taillow soared down neatly to land beside the raccoon pokemon, who had skidded to a halt when Furret rushed past and tackled Plusle. Swoop began battering Zigzagoon with a series of rapid pecks.

As his pokemon cowered under the flurry of attacks, Jackson called out, "Streak! Jump back and use your growl!"

Instantly alert once again, Zigzagoon ducked away from Taillow's sharp beak and let out a sharp growl. The attack seemed to have a strange effect on the opposing bird pokemon.

"Hey, what did that attack do to Taillow?" Roddy questioned.

Jackson, clearly reluctant to turn his attention away from the ongoing battle, hastily answered, "It lowered Taillows attack power; now it'll be be easier for us to close in and attack it. Zigzagoon, use your tackle aga- Ahh!"

Roddy turned to follow Jackson's gaze, and saw that Swoop had already taken back to the air. He also noticed that Lily's Plusle was back on its feet, and had its arms angled up toward the flying pokemon. When Roddy shifted his gaze to Lily, he noticed that she had donned a cunning smile.

"They're using helping hand," Jackson grimaced. "We've gotta stop Plusle before Swoop gets the chance to attack us. Roddy, send Furret after Lily's Plusle; I'll cause a little distraction to keep Swoop away from him. It knows foresight, right?"

"Uh, y-ya, I-I think so…" Roddy stuttered, clueless.

"Great," Jackson nodded, looking thoughtful. "Streak, use sand attack!"

Zigzagoon turned and began throwing clouds of sand and dust into the air with its hind paws. Roddy heard a muffled squawk from the sky where April's Taillow had been flying.

"Now Roddy!" Jackson shouted.

Slick seemed to have heard and understood the plan Jackson had laid out; before Roddy could call out anything, Slick was perched up on his hind legs, eyes flashing, and then rushed off through the thick cloud of sand. Roddy heard a solid _thud_ and a small squeak of surprise, and then Lily's voice sounded through the haze as a red light flashed from the other side.

Jackson pumped his fist, turning to Roddy with an approving expression. "I think you got 'em!"

Roddy, gaining some confidence, returned the expression. "Right!" he acknowledged. "Let's finish this!"

As the two boys turned back to the battlefield, however, Roddy's newfound confidence was quickly erased.

Under April's command, Swoop had blown away most of the sand and dust on her side of the battlefield, leaving Slick dangerously exposed. "Now use wing attack!" Roddy heard her exclaim.

Dropping into a low, arcing dive, the agile flying pokemon blazed towards Furret, one wing extended and glowing. With a sharp _knock_ , Furret was sent tumbling backward, not stopping until it crashed into a tree at the edge of the clearing, where it lay sprawled in an awkward heap.

"Slick!" Roddy cried, rushing over to kneel beside his pokemon. "Are you alright, bud?" he asked as Furret looked up, shaking its head to clear it.

" _Furr…"_ Slick trilled disappointedly.

Roddy smiled. "It's fine, buddy. You did awesome out there, especially with this being our first battle and all!" Roddy's words seemed to lift the pokemon's spirits a little. "Why don't you rest in your pokeball for awhile?" Roddy suggested. At Slick's chirp of approval, Roddy returned the pokemon into the red blur of his pokeball.

When Roddy turned his attention back to the battle, the air had completely cleared of the sand attack. Streak was crouching in a defensive position, panting heavily, while Swoop circled overhead, staying just out of reach of the pokemon on the ground.

"Swoop, go down and use a wing attack!" April called out to her pokemon.

"Be ready for it Streak," Jackson warned, a hint of desperation creeping into his tone.

At its trainer's command, Taillow descended in a shallow angle toward the opposing pokemon. As it grew nearer, Streak lashed his tail, as if daring it to land an attack. When the flying pokemon was almost upon it, Zigzagoon suddenly leapt high into the air, twisting as it did so, in an attempt to land on the Taillow and bring it down.

But April and Swoop were ready for it.

"Now, Swoop!" April yelled.

At the last moment, Taillow tucked its wings in and turned into a steep downward dive. Before it hit the ground, its wings flashed back out, and it landed effortlessly on the battlefield.

Streak, who was turned around, was coming down in front of the spot where the bird pokemon had landed, as he had been compensating for the Taillow's original flight path.

April smiled as she saw their chance. "Swoop! Take off and use peck!"

Swoop launched itself back into the air, smashing beak-first into the descending Zigzagoon. Streak let out a surprised bark as it crashed back down to the ground. Legs shaking, he tried to stand back up, but inevitably crumpled back down to his belly, too worn out to continue the battle.

"We did it!" April exclaimed excitedly, giggling as Swoop flew over to land on her outstretched arm. "We really showed them this time, didn't we?"

" _Low!_ " Swoop twittered proudly.

Jackson got up from where he was kneeling beside Streak and walked over to his sister, holding his pokemon in his arms. Smiling reluctantly, he acknowledged, "Ya, I guess you won this one, sis. But don't get too cocky about it," he warned.

"True," Lily put in. "It was a really close battle."

The twins returned their tired pokemon as Roddy walked over to join the group. Lily turned to look at Roddy as he approached, a hint of admiration in her eyes.

"Your Furret sure is powerful, alright," she commented. Roddy, happily absorbing the praise from the pretty girl, was about to thank her when she added, narrowing her eyes at him, "But you're certainly not."

Before Roddy could recover and defend himself, Jackson stated, "We are all pretty new at this, and the new pokemon here in Hoenn probably just threw him off a bit." Lily still looked unconvinced, but fortunately she let the matter go.

"Well _anyway,_ " April piped up, a devious smile creeping over her features, "we girls _did_ just win the battle…"

"Oh no," Jackson groaned.

" _Sooo…_ " she continued, "you two have to buy us all ice cream now!"

"Yes!" Lily cheered, high-fiving her younger friend. The two girls giggled while the boys looked at them suspiciously.

"I don't recall agreeing to this before the battle," Jackson protested. Lily looked up as he said this, a twinge of disappointment in her bright, sparkling eyes. Roddy felt his face grow warm, and he looked down at his feet for a moment to hide a smile.

"It's fine," Roddy gave in, slapping Jackson on the back. "My treat, guys."

"Great! Then what are we waiting for?" April asked enthusiastically. Roddy noticed Lily smiling at him before April began dragging her toward the path that would lead them back toward the twins' house.

 _Well, I'm glad the battle went alright,_ Roddy thought to himself as he and Jackson followed the girls to the edge of the clearing. _With a little more experience, me and Slick could become a team to be reckoned with._ He set his face determinedly and looked out over the forest around them, confidence building up inside him once again. _Heads up Hoenn; a new trainer's comin' at ya!_

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, y'all! I hope you're enjoying it so far, and stay tuned for more updates!**

 **(walkwardly. definitely** _ **walkwardly.**_ **Coined, TM, Patent Pending.)**

 **~Shadow**


	8. Chapter 8

**So I was walking outside the other day, spacing off a little… you know… And I started to smell some delicious grilled burgers and fireworks and I got really excited! …until I looked around at the eight inches of snow all around me… *sigh* I'm still not sure whether I was hallucinating or if I was just downwind of the nearest McDonald's… Probably both… :P**

* * *

"Well, here we are," Jackson said to Roddy. "This is Petalburg City."

It had been nearly an hour since the foursome had walked past the log cabin where the twins lived. Now they stood on the higher end of a bridge that spanned a small river leading into the heart of the city. From their position Roddy could clearly make out the entire town. Petalburg City had a fair share of tall, important-looking buildings, mostly at the northern end of town, but overall it was not really a large city. The town itself was nestled against a small river and surrounded on all sides by lush, green forest. The red dome marking the roof of a pokemon center visibly stood out near the center of town.

"The ice cream shop is right over there, just across from the Petalburg Gym," April pointed out. "Sometimes, if you're lucky, you get to watch people training outside the gym while you eat!" she added enthusiastically.

"So there is a pokemon gym here," Roddy acknowledged.

"Yep," Lily confirmed. "Norman may be getting on in his years, but I hear he's still a formidable battler; one of the strongest gym leaders in Hoenn, even."

"Hmm…" Roddy murmured thoughtfully. "So probably not the best place to start out at."

"Haha," Lily snickered amusedly, "for _you?_ Definitely not."

Roddy narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the younger girl, but she had already looked away. Then Jackson, who had been wearing a thoughtful expression, finally went to speak.

"You know," he began, "I bet it would be an interesting match, your Furret versus his Linoone, but he also has a Slaking which, although it can be quite lazy at times, is super powerful with its attacks. I don't think any of our pokemon would stand even the slightest chance against it in battle."

The other three kids turned to stare at Jackson, impressed by his knowledge. Then April, looking puzzled, queried, "How do you know so much about Norman's gym, Jackson? I mean, I've seen other trainers practicing around it, but I've never actually seen Norman battle himself."

Now it was Jackson's turn to stare at his twin with a puzzled expression. With one eyebrow raised, he said, "Uh, we do go to school here, sis'. I don't know who you get around with, but I can certainly attest that the Petalburg gym is quite the topic of interest for a lot of kids and adults around here."

"Oh," April responded, her face reddening a bit. "I guess we usually talk more about contests than about gym training."

Roddy happened to catch a glimpse of Lily out of the corner of his eye, and noticed that her expression saddened as April said this. Just as suddenly as it appeared, though, it vanished and was replaced by her sparkling smile.

"Which is perfectly fine!" she stated, looking meaningfully at Jackson, who grinned in turn.

"Oh don't worry, Lily," he said, "we had a nice talk about our future dreams earlier on today."

Lily let out a huge sigh. "About time, too!"

As the other three were chattering amongst themselves, Roddy had been scanning the town, trying to familiarize himself with its layout. His curiosity was piqued as he noticed a fairly large crowd of people, all dressed in dark-colored outfits, huddled just beyond the pokemon center. Something about them seemed oddly familiar but, even when squinting, he couldn't make them out in much detail. _Man, sometimes I wish I could use foresight,_ Roddy quipped to himself. _Hey, that reminds me…_

"Jackson," Roddy asked his cousin, "back during the battle, how did you know that Slick could use foresight? I mean, Furret's a pokemon that lives primarily in the Johto region, and, well, I know that I didn't have the faintest idea of what attacks your guys' Hoenn pokemon could use."

"Oh, I actually knew that because of my training," Jackson answered. "I guess it's kind of like school, but technically kids finish their basic education when they turn ten years old. That's when you can get your first pokemon and start out on your journey, although most kids stick around for a few more years to practice and learn more advanced stuff about pokemon."

"Jackson's _super_ far ahead in his lessons!" April announced enthusiastically. "Usually the first thing that all kids learn, no matter what advanced lessons they're taking, is specific stuff about all of the pokemon in the Hoenn region. But Jackson over here knew all of that stuff already so he's been learning about Kanto and Johto! So smart!" she concluded, ruffling her brother's hair. Jackson's protests just made his sister giggle more before she finally relented, letting him smooth out his hair and fix his glasses.

"So if you guys are still in school, or training or whatever, then how come you've been hanging out with me all this time?" Roddy asked, puzzled.

"We only have this advanced training stuff for one week each month," April explained. "So for the rest of the month we're free to do whatever we want!"

"Well," Jackson corrected, glaring at his twin, "you're _supposed_ to be getting field experience on your own time."

"I do!" April said defensively. "Me and Swoop practice contest moves all the time!"

Roddy noticed again that Lily's expression flickered when April mentioned contests, but he thought it better not to bring it up.

"I myself have been going over to visit Professor Alder's lab and help out with their research," Jackson boasted. Then, looking sideways and scratching his head, he added, "Er… I guess I don't do a whole lot of important stuff… _yet._ But it is really cool to watch them all work!"

Roddy grinned at his younger cousin's enthusiasm. Glancing up, he saw that Lily had a faraway look in her eyes. He decided to bring her into the conversation.

"So Lily," he started mischievously, snapping the girl out of her reverie, "how many years of school do you have left?" He made sure to keep a dead-serious expression over his face while he watched Lily's reaction.

"Oh, I finished that a couple years ago," she replied rather distantly, without the usual spark in her voice. "I haven't been able to do a lot of advanced stuff though 'cause my family's been moving around a lot lately."

Lily must have realized that she hadn't been hiding her morose expression as much as she'd thought, for she suddenly turned and began walking down the bridge that led into town. "We are still getting ice cream, aren't we?" she called over her shoulder,

"You bet!" the twins cheered in unison, running to catch up with Lily.

"And Roddy's still paying!" April added smugly. "You know, 'cause I won and all!" She turned, winking, and stuck her tongue out playfully at her cousin.

Roddy smiled, although he still paused for a moment before walking after the others. _I wonder what's bothering Lily?_ he thought to himself. _It's weird… I only just met her today, but I feel like I've known her for a long time. I wish I knew some way to help her out…_

* * *

 **Apologies again for the late update! I've been, er, busy with… stuff… yeah… But hey, I need something to write down here in the notes! So yeah… Haha! This was my plan all along! Right… Sorry… I was, uh, just leaving… *quickly closes laptop and takes a deep panicking breath of relief***

 **Catch ya!**

 **~Shadow**


	9. Chapter 9

**When you get a fortune cookie without a fortune… T.T**

* * *

"Man, this journey of mine is going to be rough on my wallet…" Roddy mumbled to himself as he walked over to join the others. They had picked a small booth by a window, which gave them an excellent view of the practice fields for the Petalburg gym.

"Roddy!" April waved him over enthusiastically between licks of ice cream. "Check it out!"

Roddy quickened his pace and sat down next to the others, who were all staring intently out the window. Outside on one of the practice fields, two boys who looked to be a little older than Roddy himself were focused on a heated battle. In the center of a field, a muscular Machoke was grappling with an orange and yellow pokemon that Roddy had never seen before. It looked like some sort of bird pokemon, but its powerful legs and short, sharp wings suggested that it probably couldn't fly well, if at all.

The Machoke's trainer suddenly motioned with one arm while shouting an order to his pokemon, and Machoke lifted the other pokemon off of the ground, preparing to throw it. But then, just as quickly, the other trainer called out an order to his pokemon. The orange and yellow pokemon twisted backwards in the Machoke's grip and, in an incredible display of raw power, began pummeling the other pokemon with a series of rapid kicks.

Machoke lost its grip on the other pokemon as it got launched backward, landing heavily on its back. Amazingly, it was able to bounce back to its feet almost instantly – just to be engulfed in a blazing torrent of red-hot flames. The Machoke, too stunned to even take a step, blinked twice before toppling over, knocked out of the battle.

Both trainers then recalled their pokemon, walked to the middle of the battlefield, and shook hands before heading out in opposite directions.

"Wow!" April squealed excitedly. "That Combusken was amazing!"

"I bet those two were training their fighting-type pokemon to prepare for a gym battle with Norman," Jackson deduced. "They must be really strong trainers!"

The picture was starting to clear up for Roddy. "So that fire pokemon out there was a Combusken?"

"Yep," Lily answered. "Although I'm surprised you didn't know that already, farmboy. I mean, it does evolve from one of the starter pokemon here in the Hoenn region." Satisfied that she had ruffled Roddy, she then turned to the twins. "And it is basically an oversized chicken."

"Hey!" the twins exclaimed simultaneously.

"You take that back!" April threatened.

"Yeah, Blaziken could take on your precious Milotic any day!" Jackson retorted.

"Psshh, _please,_ " Lily rolled her eyes. "You of all people know that Milotic would have a huge advantage over a hot-headed chicken in _any_ battle."

This point seemed to hit its mark, as Jackson could only utter a frustrated growl in response.

"You know, maybe you guys should focus on your ice cream and _then_ you can go back to bickering," Roddy pointed out. "I mean," he continued, coughing pointedly, "I didn't pay for you to drip melted ice cream all over yourselves."

"Ahh!" April squeaked, just now realizing that her ice cream cone was indeed melting.

Lily, looking smug, slid a handful of napkins across the table to the two younger kids.

"Anyway," Roddy continued, his curiosity taking over. "Blaziken is the final evolution of Torchic, right? After Combusken?"

Lily smiled. "What do you know, he's not as clueless as he looks." Her smile only grew bigger when Roddy shot her a pained look.

" _Anyway,"_ he went on, "what's so important to you guys about it and this Milotic? What even is a Milotic?"

The other three kids drew in breaths in unison and shot frustrated, questioning looks at Roddy as if they couldn't believe what they heard.

"What's so important about Blaziken?" April asked incredulously.

"Blaziken is, like, the greatest pokemon in existence!" Jackson declared.

Lily rolled her eyes at this remark. Turning to Roddy, she said, "Don't listen to these brainwashed wanna-be's. They've never even seen a real Blaziken before. I, on the other hand," she went on, flipping her hair behind her head, "have actually seen a Milotic, and can properly attest that it is the greatest pokemon of all time!"

Upon saying this, Lily reached into her bag, dug out her billfold, and produced a tattered photograph. Looking closely, Roddy could see an elegantly dressed man gesturing to a pokemon at his side. The serpent-like creature was spinning through a spiral of frothy, shining water in a depiction of true magnificence.

"So is that a Milotic?" Roddy queried, impressed.

Lily clutched the picture to her chest, closing her eyes for a moment, as if lost in a happy memory. "Mmhm," she murmured.

"And who's the man next to it? I'm assuming its trainer, right?"

"That's Wallace; he's a legendary pokemon coordinator. Well, he's retired now, but I got to go see his final contest when I was just a little girl. It was so amazing, and Wallace and his Milotic performed so beautifully!" Lily let out a soft sigh. "That was the day I decided to try out pokemon coordinating mysel-" Lily abruptly cut herself off, and Roddy thought her eyes were clouding up before she turned her attention down to her bag, taking quite a while to put her picture away. When she straightened up, though, her expression was neutral, if distant, and it seemed as if the twins hadn't noticed the brief change of emotion.

Roddy opened his mouth, starting to speak, but then stopped himself and turned back to his ice cream. _Something is definitely bothering her; maybe I'll talk to her sometime later when Jackson and April aren't here…_

"So Roddy," April interrupted his thoughts, "what's your favorite pokemon?"

Roddy looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I've never really thought about it. I do think my Furret is pretty great though."

"Aww, that's nice," April cooed. "Too bad he's not as great as my Taillow."

"Hey now!" Roddy protested.

Before the friendly bickering could escalate again, Jackson cut in, saying, "You know, guys, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to take our pokemon over to the center so Nurse Joy can look them over. I know we didn't battle too hard, but since we're in town anyway..."

"That's not a bad idea," Lily agreed. "The pokemon center is only a few blocks away from here."

"Then it's decided," Roddy confirmed, crunching on the last bit of his ice cream cone.

"Maybe we'll even run into that Combusken trainer from earlier!" April said hopefully. "Come on guys, let's go!"

* * *

… **It's like the universe is trying to tell you something, isn't it? Like: "Hey Shadow! You don't need fortunes to make your dreams come true!" or "Hey Shadow! Stop eating Panda Express five times a week!" or "Hey Shaaadoooow! Don't you _DARE_ buy the $150 Panda Ultimate Platter ever again! Do you hear me Shadow? NEVER AGAIN!"**

 ***…proceeds to stare at 'great party platter deals' on advertising sign…***


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter's a bit longer than usual! Whether that's a good or bad thing… Well, I'll just let you decide for yourselves! You good, independent, readers, you… guys… thanks…**

 **Oof, Shadow. So close, but just… Oof… -_-**

* * *

The young group arrived at the pokemon center in a matter of minutes. Pushing open the doors, Roddy walked into a well-kempt lobby area with cushioned seats along one side and an array of tables and booths on the other. Straight ahead was a long counter, presumably leading to the medical rooms. To the right of the counter were three video telephone systems, and to the left was a staircase leading up to another level.

From behind the counter, a familiar pink-haired lady in a white nurse's gown stood beside a sleek, radiant Chansey, which let out a cheerful welcome to the four newcomers.

"Well hello there Lily, April, and Jackson," the lady at the counter greeted the kids. "And…" she went on, turning to Roddy, "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before."

"My name's Roddy," he said. "I'm April and Jackson's cousin, from Johto."

"It's nice to meet you, Roddy," the pink-haired nurse said, smiling sweetly. "Is this your first time to Hoenn?"

"Yep," Roddy affirmed. "I'm actually planning on starting a journey here in Hoenn."

"That's great!" the lady exclaimed. "Have you met with Professor Alder yet?"

Jackson cut in, explaining, "We haven't taken him over there quite yet. You see, he just sailed in yesterday."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yep, that's the truth!" April chimed in. "All he's done so far is sleep, eat ice cream, and have a pokemon battle." She counted off the list dramatically on her fingers, as if she couldn't believe that's all they had done since Roddy got here.

"Speaking of our pokemon battle," Lily interrupted; "that's actually the reason we came here, Nurse Joy. We were hoping you could look over our pokemon for us."

"Of course, no problem!" the nurse said, pulling out a tray with six round slots from under the counter. "Just set your pokeballs in here and I'll have Chansey take them back to the examination room."

 _So there are Nurse Joys in the other regions_ , Roddy noted to himself. _I mean, I figured she was a Joy just by looking at her, but I didn't want to make an even bigger fool out of myself today_ , he reflected, chuckling inwardly.

The four kids drew out their pokeballs and placed them on the tray. As the chipper Chansey carried it through the door behind the front counter, Roddy heard a faint voice and glanced sideways. His attention was immediately caught by a trio of people dressed in black uniforms with dark violet ball caps and goggles. They were immersed in a hushed conversation until one of them, the only girl in the group, suddenly gestured toward the door. Immediately they all straightened up and began joking among themselves.

 _Hey_ , Roddy noted, _those are the same uniforms that those people on the ship were wearing._ He turned again at the sound of the front doors sliding open. A boy who looked maybe a bit younger than Roddy walked in, hands in his pockets. He turned toward the side of the room where the uniformed trio was standing and took a seat at one of the booths.

"Roddy," Jackson interrupted his thoughts, "let's go and sit over there while we wait for our pokemon." Tearing his gaze from the curious bunch, Roddy saw April and Lily already walking across the pokemon center to sit on the plush, cushiony chairs on the opposite side of the room.

"Alright," Roddy agreed distantly. As he walked over to join his friends, Roddy faintly heard the name "Dustin" and, looking over his shoulder once more, saw the newly arrived boy give a nod of affirmation. Roddy couldn't hear any more from across the room, but he saw the boy shaking his head with a helpless gesture at what Roddy presumed was a question from one of the uniformed people.

Lily and April looked up as the two boys walked over to them. "So," Lily said, "do you guys just want to sit in here and wait for our pokemon, or should we go walk around for a bit?"

"It probably won't take Nurse Joy too long to check up on our pokemon, but we could go show Roddy around some more," Jackson said.

"I'm just following you guys," Roddy said, throwing up his hands in an indecisive gesture. "But true, I wouldn't mind exploring the city a little more."

April bounced up out of her chair. "Let's go then!" she said, still full of energy.

The other three kids followed April out of the pokemon center and back into the pleasantly warm outdoors. A mildly crisp breeze blew through the kids' hair, and the sun beaming down sharply on them made the afternoon air feel extra refreshing. The only disturbance in the peaceful tranquility was a heavy, repetitive clunking noise sounding from somewhere behind the pokemon center.

The group of friends did not need to confirm which direction to pursue from the doorway; all four of them, with piquing curiosity, headed toward the source of the sound.

Clearing the edge of the building, a Combusken came into view, pounding on a large tree with a series of powerful kicks. Roddy marveled at the look of pure determination on the pokemon's face.

" _Bus-... bus-... BUSKEN!"_ the orange and yellow pokemon bellowed, the excruciating effort evident in its cry. Suddenly, the Combusken's foot burst into flames. As it smashed the tree with one final kick, a pillar of flames shot up the trunk, exploding in a mess of fireworks halfway up the massive growth.

The twins, too, looked ready to burst, failing to contain their excitement at this marvelous, close-up display of raw power.

"Wow Combusken, you learned how to use blaze kick!"

Roddy finally noticed the Combusken's trainer, standing a little ways back, begin to walk up to meet his pokemon.

"That's so great! I can't believe how strong you've gotten. Wait, huh-?" The young man cut himself off as, with blinding intensity, Combusken began to radiate a white glow. "No way…" he breathed.

Roddy himself felt drawn in by the pokemon's sudden transformation, and he heard awed gasps from his cousins as well.

Just as the light surrounding the pokemon became so powerful that Roddy thought he might have to look away, it suddenly turned a fiery red and escalated into a red-hot explosion, disappearing as suddenly as it started. Where the trainer's Combusken had been standing a moment before was a new pokemon, slightly bigger and sharper, but with the same fiery expression on its face.

"Wow, _Blaziken!_ " the trainer exclaimed incredulously. "There's absolutely no way we're going to lose that gym battle now!" Trainer and pokemon, both looking equally fired up, locked forearms with a knowing gesture. Their grins turned to looks of sheepish confusion, though, as they turned to see the two twins rushing toward them like a couple of Munchlax to a plate of sandwiches.

"Hehe, wow!" April shrieked, sliding to a halt just short of the fiery pokemon.

"Awesome!" Jackson exclaimed, matching his sister's eager excitement. "That Combusken just evolved- into a _Blaziken!_ "

"I know!"

"So cool!"

"Mmhm! That's the truth!"

The two kids continued their wildly enthusiastic praise of the newly evolved pokemon, while its trainer stood just off to the side, one arm awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, an embarrassed expression fixed upon his face.

"Er…" the young man stuttered, clearly taken aback by the twins' rapid onslaught of praises. "Hehe, umm..." he started again awkwardly, still lost for words.

Roddy and Lily, just as embarrassed about their friends' actions, made their way over toward the unfamiliar duo in a more civilized manner. Sharing a glance with each other, though, they couldn't help but break into cheesy grins at the silliness of the whole scenario.

Lily was the first to speak up, breaking the newly met trainer out of his surprised state. "Hey there! Sorry about our friends here; they're huge fans of the pokemon Blaziken, and seeing your Combusken evolve just now really got them going, you know? Oh, and my name's Lily. This here is Roddy, and the two drooling dopes over there are April and Jackson."

The twins didn't even react to Lily's derisive introduction; they were too busy admiring the blaze pokemon to notice Lily pointing a thumb over her shoulder at the two of them. Unlike its trainer, Blaziken didn't seem bothered by the extra attention, taking the opportunity to show off its newly developed muscles and defined sense of swagger. Roddy thought he glimpsed a string of drool actually hanging from April's mouth, verifying Lily's description and making the introduction all the more humorous.

Turning back to the new guy, Roddy offered his hand, saying, "Nice to meet ya. I'm Roddy."

Smiling and seeming to relax a bit, the trainer shook Roddy's outstretched hand. "The pleasure's all mine, Roddy; Lily," nodding at each of them in turn. "It seems like I've got some fans now, huh? ...Or at least my new Blaziken does, anyway."

All three of them chuckled, while April and Jackson finally turned and bounced over to join the group. The two of them looked like they would burst into hysterical excitement once again, until Jackson looked over at Roddy and Lily and noticed their raised eyebrows and amused smirks. Reddening for the briefest of moments, Jackson lowered his head, then turned to the Blaziken's trainer and hastily blurted, "We're so sorry, sir! We didn't mean to intrude on your training or anything, it's just-"

"Your Blaziken is so awesome!" April finished for him, eyes still sparkling with awe and excitement. "And how it evolved just now; it was amazing!"

Now that the new trainer had overcome his initial surprise and regained his composure, he seemed to be catching some of his pokemon's sense of pride.

"Haha, it was nothing!" he said clapping his hands together, pleased to have some newfound admirers. "And please call me Ross; that is my name after all!" Ross finished his introduction with a hearty chuckle.

"So Ross," Jackson began, returning to his normal, controlled self, "are you training here to take on the Petalburg Gym?"

"You bet we are!" Ross confirmed, eyes blazing. "And we're not just training to take the gym on; we're going to beat that Norman guy! Am I right?" Directing the last line to his Blaziken, the two of them once again locked forearms in a confident gesture, laughing determinedly.

Roddy, Lily, and Jackson looked on dryly at the duo's bold display, and even April seemed to be losing some of her bubbly intrigue. Noticing that he had played the showmanship card as far as it would go, Ross switched gears once again.

"So are any of you four pokemon trainers yourselves?"

April was, unsurprisingly, the quickest to reply.

"Yep!" she said. "Actually, all of us have pokemon of our own!"

"Really?" said Ross, seeming slightly surprised.

"That's right," Jackson explained. "April and I will be finishing up our pokemon schooling soon, and Roddy actually just came over here from Johto, so none of us have really begun to venture around on a journey yet."

Ross again looked genuinely surprised. "From Johto, you say? Sounds like you've had quite a bit of a journey already then." Turning his attention to Lily, he continued, "And what about you, Lil'? Are you on a journey right now?"

Lily raised an eyebrow at the over-friendly use of a nickname. "No. My family has been moving around a lot lately, so I haven't had the chance to establish any travels of my own." The look in her eyes seemed to say 'but even so, I would still kick your butt in a battle.' Ross, however, didn't seem to notice this flash of expression.

Turning again to Roddy, Ross said, "Believe it or not, I'm actually not all that familiar with pokemon from the Johto region. I think it would be an awesome experience to battle with one! what d'ya say, bud? Wanna go one-on-one?"

Roddy turned to Lily, and saw his own expression mirrored on her face; both of them were mildly irked by Ross, who appeared to be only a year or two older than them, referring to them with pet nicknames. The boy was friendly enough, though, and Roddy had to admit that his fired-up attitude was getting contagious.

"Ooohh!" April squealed. "We could see Blaziken in a real battle! Come on Roddy! Please?"

Roddy looked over, seeing the excited pleading in her eyes. Glancing over further, he could see the same eagerness in Jackson's expression, albeit more restrained. Then Roddy's gaze moved over Ross and his Blaziken, and the fired-up attitude was washed out of him as quickly as it had caught on.

Roddy gulped inwardly, although he could have swore it was loud enough to be heard by everyone around him.

 _Am I even ready for this? I've only battled once in my life… and that was just earlier today! It sounds like the twins have always dreamed of seeing a Blaziken in battle, but if it's against me I don't think it would be much of a battle at all._

Roddy looked around the group of eager, energetic individuals once more. Even Lily looked more than a little curious to see how a battle between Ross and himself would turn out. Nobody seemed to take into account that Roddy was a beginning trainer, while Ross and his Blaziken were obviously well-trained partners.

 _I don't think I can accept his challenge..._

* * *

 **Why do we still use the word** _ **flavor**_ **to describe different types of food? Like ice cream and suckers and Kool-Aid, you know? "Flavor." It's just so boring. I mean, saying I want a cherry flavored snow cone… It's just flat; emotionless even. So when somebody asks me whether I'd like ice cream or a snow cone, and what kind, I like to reply: "I'll take a snow cone, please;** _ **Cherry Edition.**_ **" There's just so much more…** _ **power**_ **… behind that word, don't you think?** _ **Chocolate Edition; Grape Edition; Root Beer Edition; Banana Split with Whip Hold the Walnuts – Edition.**_ **It's just way more interesting and meaningful and whatnot.**

 **Yup. Way better.**

 **Definitely.**

 **~Shadow**


	11. Chapter 11

**I almost forgot how fun it is to say** _ **mornin'!**_ **to random people at random times of day. XD**

* * *

"So Roddy, how about it?"

"I, um…" Roddy looked around the group again, then averted his gaze down to the ground. "Well, you see… uhh…" He desperately tried to think of a way to get out of this ridiculous proposition without disappointing anybody.

And also without looking like he was chickening out.

Just then, the perfect excuse popped into his mind. Roddy rolled his eyes at himself for not thinking of it earlier.

"Well, actually, my Furret is with Nurse Joy in the pokemon center, and I don't have any other pokemon to battle with," he said, shrugging in a helpless, but relieved, gesture.

April's expression drooped dramatically as Roddy said this. "Aww, I can't believe I forgot about that."

"Me too," said Lily. "We all had Nurse Joy check up on our pokemon just now, so none of us could battle with you even if we wanted to," she explained, looking for a moment over at Roddy.

 _She must have caught on…_ Roddy thought to himself, unconsciously rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

Ross looked disappointed to hear the news. "Aww, man," he said. "I would've loved to battle with someone from the Johto region. Too bad…"

"Yeah," Roddy agreed. "That's too bad alright." After narrowly escaping the battle proposition, curiosity took over once again. "So, uh, Ross, you said you were training to take on the Petalburg Gym; how many gym badges do you have right now?" _More like 'how badly would you have beaten me if we had actually battled just now,'_ Roddy thought wryly.

"I've actually only got one badge thi-"

"You mean you're trying to take on Norman after earning just one badge?" Jackson interrupted, astounded. "Usually the Petalburg City Gym is one of the last gyms that trainers challenge on their journeys!"

Ross grimaced as Jackson finished explaining. "Yeah, well you see… What I was trying to say is that I only have one badge that's valid for _this_ year's Hoenn League." As the others looked on with puzzled expressions, Ross dug into his back pocket, producing a flat rectangular container. Opening it with a _click_ , he revealed a felt-lined interior with eight differently shaped slots, one of which contained a shiny, golden badge.

"Hey, that's the Stone Badge from Rustboro's gym, right?" Jackson queried.

"It sure is," Ross confirmed. "I earned this one just last week," he stated proudly. Then he began fiddling with the edge of his badge case. To everyone's surprise, he lifted the base panel holding his Stone Badge right out. "And these," Ross continued, as the others leaned in curiously, "are the badges I earned on my travels for last year's Hoenn League tournament."

Removing the bottom panel of his badge case revealed four more badges of unique shapes and colors. Roddy noticed that one of the four was identical to the Stone Badge Ross had shown them previously, except that it was more dull and weathered.

Lily looked up after studying the old badges and asked, "So you tried to compete in the Hoenn League last year, then? What happened? Why weren't you able to get more badges than this?"

"Yeah," April added, "it's not like you couldn't beat any more gym leaders, is it? I mean, your Blaziken seems really strong!"

Roddy had to agree that Ross's pokemon seemed to be well-trained.

Ross forced another painful smile. "Thanks for thinking that there was some other reason, guys," he said, forcing a chuckle as well. "And yes, there is a reason. I actually got into some trouble last year when I was training up in the mountains by Lavaridge town. We had just beaten the Lavaridge Town Gym, and we decided to stick around for a couple more days to practice our fighting techniques before we came down here to face Norman. I was having my pokemon practice their fighting-type moves by breaking boulders and such up on the mountains, and I guess none of us were being too careful about it…

"One of the boulders I had my pokemon break dislodged some other big rocks that must have been wedged behind it, and when I tried diving away from the landslide, one of those rocks caught me in the leg. The doctors said I broke it in two places, and I wouldn't be able to walk on it for over a month. Even after it healed enough for me to move around on crutches, our travelling was way slower than it was before the accident. By the time we made our way down here to Petalburg, the Hoenn League registration had ended, and all of the gyms were closed down for the tournament.

"We were really bummed out about it, because there was no way we would've lost to any of the gym leaders, and we would have put up a real fight in the championships!" A shadow fell over Ross's eyes as he recalled his experience.

"If only… If only I had been more careful…" Ross lowered his head, tears threatening to escape from his glistening eyes.

He clenched his fists into tight balls, so tight that he began shaking.

April looked moved by the older boy's story; she, too, had lowered her head to shut out her emotions. Lily took a step forward and reached out to comfort their new friend.

"It wasn't your fault, Ross. Accidents like that can happen to anybody."

Ross slowly lifted his head up, all traces of emotion gone from his expression. With dull eyes and a flat voice, he responded, "But it was my fault. I was careless. And I know my pokemon were looking forward to competing in the Hoenn League; they worked so hard!" He ended his thoughts with a desperate intensity.

Roddy broke the tense air that followed, saying, "You can't blame yourself, Ross. You-"

" _Blaze_."

Roddy cut himself off as Ross's Blaziken stepped over, placing a reassuring hand on his trainer's shoulder.

"Bl… Blaziken," Ross whispered.

" _Blaziken!_ " the pokemon roared determinedly, pumping its other fist in a convincing gesture.

"I don't think he blames you for anything, Ross," Jackson said.

"Blaziken… You're right!" Ross roared, his eyes lighting up with a fiery determination once again. "If we can beat the Petalburg Gym- no- _when_ we beat the Petalburg Gym, it'll prove that we haven't gone anywhere! We'll pick up right where we left off last time and, even though we only have one badge right now, we'll take on Norman, and we _will_ earn ourselves that Balance Badge that we've waited so long for!"

Roddy smiled, glad that their new friend was back to his normal, fired-up self. _Man, that kind of attitude really is contagious_ , he thought to himself. _And look at those two; they seem so close. They must have been partners for a really long time to build up that kind of dependability and trust in each other. I hope that Slick and I can find something to become that passionate about together._

Just then, Roddy glimpsed Nurse Joy walking around the corner of the pokemon center, carrying in her arms a tray with four round pokeballs on it. She smiled as she caught Roddy's eyes.

 _You know what? I don't think it's a matter of hoping for that something to happen; it's a matter of hoping for that something to happen soon!_

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and stuff everybody! Sorry I've got nothing cheeky to say in the author's note today… But thanks again for all the support and feedback and anything else you guys have been up to! Keep up the good work!**

 **Mornin'!**

 **~Shadow**


	12. Chapter 12

**Aaaahhhhh I'm CRYING! It's been way too long and I've missed all you guys! Don't give up hope, for I will finish this small section of story eventually! Please bear with me and I will continue this whole writing hobby thing of mine!**

 ****Happy holidays by the way! I hope all of you are having an amazing time! I mean, I guess you're reading my little fanfic here, so you're obviously enjoying your time immensely ;) (had to do it). I know that I read a lot more in the cold winter months, so here's a little more for you guys to read. Think of it as my present to you.****

 **Anyway, I'm sorry for being away for so long! I won't distract you guys too much with the details – yet ;) – so instead we'll get back to the story! Hopefully everyone remembers what's happening right now… hehe… he…**

* * *

"Haha!" Ross boomed, barring forearms with his Blaziken again in their usual gesture.

" _Blaaaaze!_ " the fiery pokemon roared along with him, shooting a stream of swirling flames high into the sky.

Everyone seemed to have regained their composure after hearing Ross tell of his tragic experience. Roddy could see his friends smiling again, clearly happy that their new acquaintance had found some closure.

Turning around again, Roddy dipped his head to Nurse Joy as she approached with the tray of pokeballs. The others didn't seem to notice her approach, so Roddy stepped over to greet her.

"Hello, Roddy," the kind-mannered lady said to him. "I finished up with your and your friends' pokemon. I came to the lobby looking for you when I noticed the group of you from the window here, and thought I'd bring your pokeballs out."

"Thanks so much, Nurse Joy," said Roddy. By this time the others had made their way over to join them, each gratefully picking their pokeball from the tray that the nurse proffered.

Nurse Joy smiled sweetly at the kids' thanks, clutching the now empty tray to her chest. "You're all very welcome," she said. "Your pokemon seem to be very well cared for. They weren't in bad condition at all; a quick massage perked them right up, and now they should all be full of energy again."

"That's great!" Lily said, pocketing her Plusle's pokeball.

"Thank you, ma'am!" April and Jackson echoed one another, each dipping their head respectfully.

 _What do ya know,_ Roddy mused wryly, _I guess they have some good manners after all._

As they waved goodbye to Nurse Joy, Roddy glimpsed Ross from the corner of his eye, looking thoughtful.

"Say Roddy," he began.

 _Oh boy…_ Roddy groaned inwardly.

"Now that you have your pokemon back, maybe you could do me the favor of helping me train?"

The twins looked expectantly at Roddy, pleading with their eyes for him to accept.

"Well, you see," he began, "the thing is, I'm just starting out as a trainer. And since you and Blaziken seem to be a pretty capable team already, I don't know how much help I'd actually be…"

Ross waved off his excuse. "That's no problem!" he assured. "Heck, I was there once, too, you know? I got Blaziken here from Professor Alder just last year! Yup, and look at us now! I think that you and me could really help each other out; I can try to give you some pointers and you can help me and my new Spinda get some battle experience!"

Roddy paused, blinking. "Your Spinda?"

"Yeah!" Ross confirmed. "I caught one just the other day. It seems pretty strong, but I haven't actually gotten the chance to battle with it yet. So what do ya say?"

Roddy considered the proposition. _Say, this could actually be kinda fun. I've never seen a Spinda before, but if he just caught it then this might be an even match._

Unlike Roddy, the twins seemed to be disappointed by Ross's revelation.

"Aawww!" April whined.

"So you're not going to battle with Blaziken?" Jackson asked.

"Haha, nope," Ross chuckled, "we've done plenty of training together today. I want to give my new Spinda a chance to get some battle experience."

Lily was standing to the side, a smug smile stretching across her face. "This oughta be a quick battle. Roddy couldn't even win against us girls, so I'm sure he'll fare well against an experienced trainer with gym badges." As Roddy turned to glare at her, Lily closed her eyes and flashed him a cheesy smile. "I'm just teasing ya, farm boy."

"Hmm," it was Roddy's turn to smirk, "you know if I remember right, I didn't actually lose to you." Lily's grin turned into a cold glare. "In fact, I think I recall my Furret knocking out your Plusle…"

"Yeah, yeah," Lily rolled her eyes, her smile returning. "Let's just see how you handle this next battle."

"Right," Roddy agreed, feeling more pumped after their bout of jesting.

 _I wonder if she did that on purpose, to motivate me more…_

"Alright Roddy, let's get this battle started!" Ross called over his shoulder, already marching his way over to a set of practice fields.

* * *

There were three battlefields nestled side by side at the practice area. The one furthest from the group of kids was a plain dirt field. The middle section was simply a rectangular patch of short grass, with several spots of tall, thicker grass scattered throughout it. A light breeze rustled the taller grass, forming the illusion of it blending into the waving pattern of the short grass around it. The final practice field, the one closest to the group, seemed to be covered with some sort of hardened, packed clay. Roddy looked over all three battlefields with thoughtful eyes.

"Why are all of the practice fields formed from different terrains?" he queried.

"Well," Jackson replied, "the Petalburg Gym uses normal-type pokemon. Since normal types battle equally well on just about any type of terrain, the Gym wanted to ensure that its trainers would be able to practice on all kinds of battlefields."

"Most gyms use a type of pokemon that has a specific advantage on a certain type of terrain," Ross added. "For example, the Rustboro City Gym utilizes rock-type pokemon. The battlefield there is littered with loose rocks and boulders, and the room is even a bit darker than most other arenas. This gives the Gym's rock-type pokemon a big advantage, because those pokemon are used to navigating through mountains and caves, and they are more comfortable battling on that kind of terrain."

"That makes sense," Roddy nodded. "So since normal-type pokemon don't have any unique advantages on specific terrains, the city just layed out different styles of basic terrains so people can train in different settings to prepare for the Petalburg City Gym."

Jackson nodded in affirmation. "Exactly. The Gym here is rigged so that the battlefield's terrain can be changed and modified before any match. You can never be sure which terrain you will have to battle on, so it's a good idea to practice on all different types of battlefields before challenging Norman."

"And that's just what I plan to do!" Ross bellowed. Blaziken and I were just training on dirt fields earlier, so I think we should battle on the grass field, if that's okay with you, Roddy?"

Roddy grinned confidently. "That's fine by me, Ross."

 _Me and Slick could have some fun using those thicker patches of grass to launch a surprise attack._

"Let's get this party started!" April shouted excitedly, rushing over to the grass field in the center of the training area.

Lily rolled her eyes at her younger friend. "It's a battle, not a party!" she shouted after her, running to catch up.

The boys walked over to the practice field more slowly.

"Since we have extra people this time, I'll judge the match from the sideline for you guys," said Jackson. "Are you two ready?"

"Oh yeah!" Roddy and Ross replied in unison, each of the boys pumping their fists determinedly before turning to take their respective places on opposite sides of the practice field.

 _Man,_ Roddy thought to himself, reaching inside his jacket pocket for Slick's pokeball. _My second real battle… And my first one was just this morning!_ He looked up at the sky; the sun was just beginning its downward trend. _It's only my first full day here in Hoenn, and I've already experienced so much!_ Looking down at his hand, Roddy clenched Slick's pokeball more firmly and smiled. _If our journey keeps going at this pace, we're in for one awesome adventure!_

* * *

 **I had to reread some of this story to figure out where I left off and where I was planning on going with it, and now I'm super nostalgic! :'{ I have way too many hobbies for my own good, and I guess the whole balancing act is trickier than I expected. I never should have thrown this story on the backburner for so long, though. I feel like I abandoned you guys – and I'm sorry! I'm not a Damian, I swear! (I'm assuming everybody gets the reference, but if not I won't judge… No, really... ... Hey now! If I say that I won't judge then you can't judge either! Okay? Truce? Truce? Truce. Good.)**

… **man, conversations are so much easier when you're the only one talking. Why can't every debate be solved this way?**

 **Catch ya!**

 **~Shadow**


	13. Chapter 13

**This is, umm, a treat… It's a longer chapter with a nice little battle and I'm posting it earlier than I had planned. But don't get the wrong idea, it's not because I like you or anything! It's just, well, a little treat for you… I guess…**

 **Baka. :P**

* * *

"This will be a one-on-one practice match between Roddy and Ross. The battle will be decided when one trainer's pokemon is unfit to continue battling. Now, call out your pokemon!"

 _Wow,_ Roddy mused, _Jackson sounds like the real deal. Speaking of which… This is my first single battle ever, and I'm up against an experienced trainer._ Roddy looked down at the red and white pokeball clutched in his hand.

"We'd better give it everything we've got!" he hollered, throwing the pokeball high into the air. "Let's go, Slick!"

The pokeball landed a few yards in front of Roddy, popping open with a _click_. Out of the ensuing red light appeared Roddy's Furret, quivering with a refreshed and energetic excitement.

" _Furret furrrret!_ " the striped pokemon trilled, spinning around to shoot a curious look at its trainer.

Roddy pumped his fist and smiled. "We're having another battle, Slick. Against Ross there; we met him after taking you guys to the pokemon center earlier."

Slick spun around again, standing up on its hind legs to peer across the battlefield at the opposing trainer.

Ross was hunched over his pokedex, presumably checking out the information it would provide about the long body pokemon. "So that's a Furret, eh? Just like I was hoping, a new Johto pokemon to go up against! Here we go, Spinda!" he said, tossing his own pokeball out onto the battlefield.

With a _pop_ and a flash of red light, the pokeball produced a small pokemon that reminded Roddy of a teddy bear. It's soft appearance was enhanced by its wobbly, teetering stance.

 _So this is the Spinda that Ross was talking about._ Roddy raised an eyebrow as the pokemon began to totter so far to one side that it almost crashed to the ground, only barely recovering in time. He smiled, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief. _A pokemon that cute can't be too fierce of a fighter; and besides, Ross said he only recently caught that one. This should be a decent battle for us after all._

"Alright," Jackson said, breaking into Roddy's thoughts. "Are both of you ready?"

From further back, Roddy heard April and Lily, cheering for both of their friends, shout out, "Good luck you guys!"

Roddy and Ross turned to smile and wave their thanks. Then the two young trainers locked determined eyes, and nodded.

"Let's do this!" Ross exclaimed.

"Then let the battle begin!"

Roddy was the first to yell out a command. "Slick, head into that patch of taller grass!"

Without hesitation, Furret bounded toward the center of the battlefield, ducking into a thick patch of tall grass.

 _Now we can wait for Spinda to come to us, and hit them with a surprise attack._

Ross hollered out a command of his own, pointing toward the clump of grass where Slick had disappeared. "Over there, Spinda! Use teeter dance!"

 _Hmhm,_ Roddy smiled to himself. _Perfect. When they get just a little closer we'll launch our attack. Get ready, bud,_ he thought, willing his pokemon to understand.

Ross's Spinda came to a stop- if one could call it that- several yards in front of the patch of tall grass where Slick was hiding. Suddenly, the already dizzy-looking pokemon began wobbling and spinning even more dramatically than before.

 _Looks like the little guy's all wobbled out,_ Roddy thought. _I guess that'll have to be close enough for us._ "Alright, Slick, now!"

Furret dashed out of the grass cover with surprising speed. What was even more surprising to Roddy, however, was that Furret was charging directly at him instead of at Ross's Spinda.

"What the-" Roddy exclaimed alarmedly as the speeding pokemon charged past. He just managed to jump to the side, narrowly avoiding being bowled over by the attack.

"Hey, bud, what's the matter?" Roddy asked anxiously as Slick slid to an ungraceful halt, tumbling head over tail twice before stopping completely. As his pokemon turned around to face him, Roddy noticed that its eyes were spinning and it was standing with the same wobbling posture as the opposing Spinda.

"Come on, Slick, snap out of it buddy!" Roddy urged his pokemon.

All of a sudden Furret's eyes seemed to clear up, and he shook his head, blinking rapidly.

" _Ret ret,_ " the pokemon chirped, sounding slightly confused.

"Spinda's over there," Roddy said, pointing behind him toward the center of the battlefield. "Now go and, uhh… tackle 'em." It was Roddy's turn to sound confused.

Furret chirped its understanding, and took an aggressive stance before dashing back onto the battlefield with blinding speed.

Ross saw Furret begin to take off, and called out, "Alright, Spinda, get ready to dodge- Wha-?"

Before he could finish his command, Slick slammed into the other pokemon, sending it spinning backwards.

Ross's shocked look was quickly replaced by his determined expression. "Your Furret is pretty quick, I'll give you that, Roddy. But now it's our turn to attack. Spinda, use faint attack!"

Spinda recovered gracefully, then crouched for a moment, preparing to launch its next attack.

"Get out of there, Slick!" Roddy urged his pokemon. Furret once again dashed away with blazing speed, but suddenly, seemingly from out of nowhere, Spinda was looming over the speedy pokemon. With a powerful spinning lunge, it crashed into Furret, who was just able to remain on four legs. Roddy once again looked on with shock as the impossible attack sent Furret sliding sideways for several yards.

"Roddy!" April's acute yelling snapped him out of his dumbfounded state. "Faint attack is a move that never misses its target, no matter how evasive they are! Come on!"

Glancing over at his cousin, Roddy noticed Lily looking on with narrowed eyes.

 _She was the one who was so critical of my battling last time… I better not give her any more reason to catch on._

"Alright, Spinda, finish this with a dizzy punch attack!"

"Huh?" Roddy quickly snapped his attention back to the battle at hand. "Slick- ahh!" he called out desperately.

Before Slick was able to recover from the previous attack, Spinda was on him again. Turning almost completely around, the prancing pokemon wound up to deliver a powerful punch. Slick was only able to curl into a tight ball in an attempt to protect himself from the blow.

" _Daaah!"_ the once cute-looking pokemon shrieked fiercely, delivering a direct attack.

Furret rolled backwards across the battlefield before collapsing on its side right in front of Roddy.

"Slick…" Roddy uttered.

"Roddy's Furret is no longer fit to continue. That means Ross and his Spinda are the winners!"

"Hehay! Way to go, Spinda!"

" _Spiiiinda!"_

Roddy looked on with defeated eyes as Ross and his pokemon celebrated their victory. Kneeling down beside his pokemon, he murmured, "I'm sorry, bud. You did great out there." He pulled out Furret's pokeball and gently tapped the exhausted pokemon. "Rest up, buddy."

Furret vanished inside of the dull red light. Hearing footsteps approaching, Roddy lifted his head up.

"That was a good battle, bud!" Ross said, reaching out a hand to help Roddy up. Roddy hesitated for a moment before clasping it and pulling himself to his feet.

Shaking his head to clear it, Roddy looked up and grinned. "You know, for only being together a short time, you and Spinda really make a great team. The little guy packs a big punch!"

"Hahaha," Ross chuckled, looking down at the pokeball in his hand. "I'm sure Spinda would be pleased to hear it! Even though I've been focusing most of my training on Blaziken recently, Spinda and the others have all been working really hard, too."

"It definitely shows. Slick and I need to train a lot more ourselves. And now I know not to underestimate an opponent based on appearance alone."

Ross grinned. "I'm glad I could help you learn something, then! And battling your Furret was really helpful for me, too. It reminded me of battling a Linoone, which is great practice right now because I hear that Norman uses one of his own at the Gym."

A beeping sound coming from one of Ross's pockets caused the young trainer to jump. Digging down, he produced a device that looked like a cross between a cell phone and a pokedex. Suddenly Ross's eyes widened and his mouth went agape.

"Oh, shoot!" he spurted. "I completely forgot I was going to meet up with somebody to do some training before supper!" Frantically, Ross worked on shoving the device and Spinda's pokeball back into their respective pockets. "I'm so sorry, bud." He dipped his head apologetically. "Thanks a ton for the practice battle. It was nice meet-"

Glancing aside, following Ross's gaze, Roddy saw Lily and the twins making their way across the practice field to where the two boys were standing.

Ross turned back to Roddy with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. "I really shouldn't keep this guy waiting… Can you explain to your friends for me?"

Before Roddy could even answer, Ross had spun around and was taking off in the other direction. "Thanks Roddy!" he called back over his shoulder. Then, in a booming voice, "It was nice meeting everyone!" A few seconds later, the newly-met boy was out of sight, disappearing around a corner.

Lily, April, and Jackson jogged up to where Roddy was left standing, puzzled looks on their faces.

"Where'd Ross run off to all of a sudden?" Jackson asked.

Roddy shrugged, just as confused as the others seemed to be. "I'm not sure, but his phone or something went off and he got all flustered about being late for some more training with someone... or something like that. He seemed genuinely sorry for taking off in such a hurry, though."

Everybody except for April seemed to understand and accept the explanation.

"Oh, bummer!" she whined. "I didn't get a chance to congratulate him for winning!"

Roddy stared at his younger cousin with a flat expression. "Gee, who were you rooting for, anyway?" he said dryly.

April's face went red, and she said hurriedly, "Well of course I wanted you to win, Roddy! It's just… well, I mean… But Ross has a Blaziken!"

Roddy smiled, resisting the urge to face palm. Hearing a loud _smack_ , he looked over, noticing that Jackson wasn't quite as restrained.

Lily just stood, shaking her head. She seemed to be holding back laughter. "It's not like Blaziken was the one battling, you know."

April wasn't ready to give in. "Well yeah, but still. You have to be a pretty awesome trainer to own a Blaziken!" The other three kids just shook their heads and chuckled.

Shifting his hands to straighten his jacket, Roddy felt the round bulge of Slick's pokeball in his pocket. Turning it over with his fingers, he donned a somber expression. "I wonder if we should head back to the pokemon center so Nurse Joy can check up on Slick again?" he said.

The other three kids looked around at each other. Jackson was the first to offer his thoughts.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," he said.

"You're right," Lily agreed, seeming to understand Jackson's intention. "Come on, guys." The older girl turned to head back across the training area, leading the group back on the path they had originally taken.

Roddy followed his friends en route to the pokemon center. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out Slick's pokeball and looked down at it. Nestled in his palm, it seemed small; powerless; fragile, even.

He clenched his hand around the red and white contraption, resolve building in his heart and mind. _I promise you, Slick,_ he vowed, _I_ will _get better; I_ will _become stronger. I don't want to let you down again, buddy, so I'll do my best to learn everything I can about pokemon battles, gyms, and journeying here in Hoenn._

Roddy allowed himself a small smile.

"We _will_ become the best team Hoenn has seen in a very, very, _very_ long time."

* * *

 **Okay so what exactly happens on New Year's Eve? The crystal ball drops in Times Square, right? No? You're telling me it doesn't actually "drop?" It just gets moved to a slightly lower elevation on some random pole? You mean there's NO BREAKING OF GLASS OR SOME OTHER RELATIVELY INTERESTING EVENT THAT SIGNIFIES THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR?!**

… **Are you familiar with the Mandela Effect?**

 **I need support! And trust! And someone to tell me that I'm not crazy for being one hundred and ten percent sure that a giant crystal ball gets shattered in New York at the start of every year! If you also believe this to be true, SEND HELP!**

 ***insert business card here***

 **~Shadow**


	14. Chapter 14

**So hey, how bout that airline food? I wouldn't know since I live off the land. See that's a play on the words "airline/land" and "food/live off…" I definitely ruined it now that I've attempted to explain it, haven't I?... Oh, what's that? It was ruined long before the explanation?**

… **I'm just gonna stop rambling, let's call it a draw. -_-'**

* * *

"Oh, don't worry, Roddy. Just let your Furret get some rest in its pokeball, and he should be fully fit in no time."

Nurse Joy handed back Roddy's pokeball, smiling reassuringly at the young trainer. "It's good that you care about your pokemon enough to worry, though. Some trainers think a long rest will cure anything, but it's definitely better to stick on the safe side in situations like this, especially when your pokemon's health is in question."

Roddy sighed his relief, glad that Slick wasn't badly hurt. He still blamed himself for his pokemon's predicament, but Nurse Joy's encouraging words helped to lift his spirits.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," he said gratefully, pocketing Slick's pokeball once more.

The sun was beginning to drop below the rooftops of some of the higher buildings in town, and faint shadows were slowly spreading across the sidewalks and streets.

"Is anybody hungry for supper?" Jackson questioned the group, glancing out one of the windows across the west side of the lobby.

Roddy could tell that it was a genuine question, but the younger boy was clearly hoping that the others would answer 'yes.'

April perked up at her twin brother's inquiry; clearly Jackson wasn't the only one who was hoping to get some food soon. "I think Mom was going to cook a big pot of stew tonight," she said excitedly. "Why don't we head home and see if it's done yet? Lily can come, too!"

"Sounds delicious!" the older girl said delightedly.

Roddy smiled, relieved. "Ditto," he agreed cheesily, getting humored sniffs from Lily and Jackson. April seemed to be too excited to even comprehend the slight pun. "I was actually kind of worried that we'd be stuck in town here around suppertime, and I did not want to pay for everyone's supper on top of our ice cream arrangement."

"Please," Lily smirked. "The battle's over, the price has been paid; we wouldn't make you buy us supper, too… until we beat you again that is."

Roddy rolled his eyes. "Ha-ha. Anyway, I'm even worried about paying for my own meals; I mean, I know I'll have to get used to it when I actually start out on my journey, but it'd be nice to save up a little bit of money before then."

"You know," Nurse Joy's voice sounded from behind the reception counter. "When you become a registered trainer for your journey, you can stop in at any pokemon center for a free meal anytime."

Roddy turned his attention to the pink-haired lady. "Is that right?" he said, only half-believing what he had heard. Then, cocking his head to the side with some confusion, he asked, "But how exactly do I become a registered trainer? Is there some sort of test I have to take first?"

Roddy's friends laughed amusedly, while Nurse Joy simply smiled at the innocent question.

"You see, Roddy," Jackson began, "as you already know, trainers have the option of challenging gyms, entering contests, or doing both on their pokemon journey. There can also be exceptions made for trainers aspiring to enter certain professions, like researchers and breeders. Whatever path you choose, you have to register with the foundation for that field. You don't really have to qualify for most things; as long as you meet the basic standards like age and pokemon competency, you can become a certified trainer."

"That's exactly right, Jackson," Nurse Joy commented. "If you're looking to challenge gyms and compete in the Hoenn League Tournament, you can simply register your information with any pokemon center. Contest passes are provided at any contest hall, and most everything else should be handled through Professor Alder at his lab in Littleroot Town. He can also give you your badge case or contest pass if it happens to be more convenient."

"He also gives out starter pokemon to three upcoming trainers in the area every year!" April chimed in. "Of course Torchic's always the first to be picked, but the other two are really cool too!"

Roddy looked thoughtful for a moment. "Must not be a very big town, this Littleroot. Only three trainers get starter pokemon each year?"

"Professor Alder's really good about making exceptions, in case there happens to be more new trainers from one year to the next." Jackson clarified. "He has lots of basic pokemon at his lab, and he's always able to find a pokemon that suits a new trainer."

"Gee, for someone who's only helped out around the research lab for a few months you sure seem to be an expert on Professor Alder."

Jackson turned to Lily as she said this, color building in his cheeks. "You learn a lot from him, even in a short time," he said defensively. "Professor Alder's a brilliant researcher!"

Lily grinned cheekily. "I know that," she said.

Jackson scowled at the older girl, realizing that he'd just been manipulated.

"So anyway," Roddy said, "I have to register myself as a pokemon trainer in order to compete in the Hoenn League, and by doing so I can eat for free at any pokemon center?"

Roddy's friends grinned amusedly once again. "I can't tell if you're more excited about your pokemon journey or the food perks that go along with it," Lily remarked.

Even Nurse Joy looked to be on the verge of giggling. "Yes, Roddy, exactly. You also get free lodging for yourself and any guests you may have travelling with you, as well as access to provisions you might need for the next leg of your journey."

Roddy nodded his head, impressed. "Wow," he said. "That certainly takes a lot of stress out of this whole journey thing."

Nurse Joy smiled. "That's good to hear. And if you have any other questions or if you're ever in need of assistance, the pokemon center is always open for all trainers."

Roddy dipped his head to the kind young lady. "I will definitely be back, thank you."

Lily smirked. "Definitely; if you keep losing battles like this."

"That's the truth!" April giggled along.

Roddy just rolled his eyes, sighing, as the foursome walked out of the pokemon center into the crisp evening air.

"We'd better hurry back home," Jackson said. "Mom will be worried if we're not back before dark."

April nodded enthusiastically. "And she probably has that stew done and ready for us, too!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Lily said, taking off at a brisk jog. "Let's get going!"

April took off excitedly after her friend, while Jackson hung back, groaning. "We can't possible run all the way back home… That's so far!"

Roddy grinned. "Oh, I bet we can just walk and we'll still catch up to them eventually."

Jackson looked sideways at his older cousin. "Suggesting that they'll wait for us or that they'll get tired? Cause neither one sounds likely to me…"

"Well," Roddy chuckled, "there's only one way to find out. Let's get going."

The two boys headed out after their friends, walking only slightly faster than normal.

 _So I can register to officially enter the Hoenn League anytime I want_ , Roddy thought quizzically. _You know… I should probably just do that through Professor Alder; he sounds like a really helpful guy, and Professor Hawthorne did suggest that I go visit him before I set off on my journey._

"Hey Jackson."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Do you think you could show me how to get to Professor Alder's lab tomorrow?"

The younger boy grinned. "Eager to start off on that journey, huh? You just got here last night, you know."

Roddy ducked his head sheepishly. "Well, you know… If it's too short of notice or anything I can wait for a better day…"

"No, no; tomorrow's fine! I love visiting the research lab myself! Maybe April and Lily will even tag along if they don't have any plans. And speaking of them…."

Roddy looked up to follow his cousin's gaze. They had just reached the bridge at the edge of town, and at the far side he could see the figures of the two girls slumped lazily against the railing. Breathing heavily with their heads down, they didn't even notice Roddy and Jackson approaching until the boys were standing over them.

Roddy grinned slyly as Lily looked up at him. "I see you two weren't able to keep up that pace all the way back." Lily immediately recomposed herself, trying-ineffectively-to control her breathing.

"We could hav- Kept that pa- All night," she forced herself to say. "We just decid- To wait for you." April managed to nod her head in agreement, unable to say anything between heavy breaths.

Roddy and Jackson looked at each other and grinned. Offering their hands to help the girls to their feet, the group of friends resumed their hike back to the Wester house.

* * *

 **I feel like I should explain something here…**

 **When I said "live off the land," the "land" was "Wal-Mart." More specifically milk and ramen noodles. And juice. And the occasional head of lettuce.**

 **Don't worry! If I need protein I go to McDonald's - or Taco John's. …Wow, I just realized that a lot of fast food places are named after people… So who really** _ **is**_ **this "John," and why is he advertising his tacos instead of his potato olés!? Who's the** _ **real**_ **victim here,** _ **Johnny?!**_

 **But really, how is the airline food? Asking for a friend.**

 **~Shadow**


	15. Chapter 15

**Oooowhee! It is** _ **spring time**_ **my dudes! Did everyone stand their eggs up on the equinox day? No? Well neither did I! Because I ate them all the day before!... I'm so stupid – stupid – stupid –** _ **stupid**_ **… *echoes fade as Shadow begins sobbing against the window, looking out upon the beautiful world as it passes slowly by***

* * *

"Mom! We're ho-ome!" April called out cheerfully.

After nearly an hour of walking, the four kids had finally made it back to the twins' home near Petalburg Woods. The sun had just disappeared below the horizon, and several lamp lights were ablaze on the outside walls of the little cabin, casting long shadows on the leaf-littered earth.

 _This part of Hoenn really doesn't have a true winter, does it?_ Roddy looked at the densely clustered trees around the house, noticing that many of them still retained most or all of their leaves. And for being so late in the evening, the air wasn't very chilly at all. Roddy guessed that the temperature wouldn't drop below forty-five degrees overnight.

Taking his shoes off, Roddy followed the procession of kids as they all made their way into the kitchen. Lorraine was busy setting out bowls, spoons, and cloth napkins around the wooden table. Humming while she worked on supper, she didn't even notice as the kids entered the kitchen.

Seeing an opportunity, April signaled for the others to crouch down and be quiet. Her order was met with confused eyes, but they all followed her instruction when she mouthed 'just do it.' As Lorraine went back over to the wood stove to stir the rich-smelling stew, April snuck slyly around the table and collected the ceramic bowls that her mother had just placed down. Upon completing her tasks, she sneakily hid the bowls behind a vase of vivid orange flowers setting atop one of the shelves. Motioning for the others to stand up again, she bounced over to her mother.

"Hey, Mom! We're back!"

Lorraine abruptly stopped her humming, but to her credit didn't flinch outwardly at the surprise greeting. "Well hello there, honey," she said, rather sweetly. "I see you've brought back some company; hello, Lily."

"Hi Mrs. Wester. Sorry if I'm intruding or anything…"

Lorraine just shook her head. "No, no, dear, the more the merrier! And we've been over this before; just call me Lorraine, okay?"

Lily smiled back at the kind lady. "Alright, Lorraine. Thanks for having me." She dipped her head politely.

Lorraine turned her attention to her nephew. "And how was your first full day in Hoenn, Roddy? Isn't it just a lovely little area?"

Roddy smiled at his aunt's affection for her homeplace. "I had a great time, Aunt Lorraine. These guys took me to Petalburg City, which is definitely a lot bigger than Cherrygrove or even Cianwood back home. And the weather here is beautiful! For being the middle of winter, it's really not cold at all!"

"I'm glad you like it so far," Lorraine said. "It's usually quite a bit colder by this time of year, though. We rarely get snow, of course, but even so it's a rather warm year this time around."

"True," Jackson commented. "It's still pretty early, though, so there's still a chance it'll roughen up a bit before springtime comes."

Roddy looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, some of the berries here might have a hard time adjusting to that." The others looked curiously at him. "I mean," he tried explaining, "the growing season's probably longer here than it is back in Johto, but… Some of the berries that are more adapted to the colder weather in winter might not know when to start sprouting if it's too warm this time of year. And the same goes for the more tropical-oriented ones; they might start sprouting too early or too late, depending when or if the cold season hits. That could really throw off their own growing season, although it wouldn't be as serious since it's generally warm for most of the year here in Hoenn, from what I know, anyway."

The girls, including Lorraine, looked as if Roddy's explanation had just washed right over them. Jackson, though, was nodding along thoughtfully as his cousin explained his theory. "I can see how that could become a problem, especially if it continued for a number of years."

Roddy nodded affirmingly to his younger cousin, thankful that at least someone understood where he was coming from. Turning back to the rest of the group, he said, "I don't know if that'll be the case here, being this is a foreign region to me and all. But I'd definitely be curious to check it out and maybe find out for myself what's going on."

Lorraine nodded, smiling. "Well you've definitely come to the right place, then. There are tons of berries scattered throughout Petalburg Woods here, if you know where to look. I bet you could find what you're looking for in no time if you took a day or so to explore the forest."

"I'll have to do that sometime," Roddy agreed. "Maybe in a couple days, though, 'cause I think these guys might take me to see Professor Alder tomorrow."

April and Lily looked up quizzically.

"I don't remember talking about that," April said, sounding slightly confused.

"No, don't worry, I don't recall either," Lily assured the other girl.

Jackson donned a cheeky grin. "Oh, that's right. We were discussing that while you two were passed out on the bridge outside Petalburg."

"We were just waiting for you two to catch up!" April said defensively, puffing out her now red cheeks. "We could have kept running all the way home, but we would have felt bad for ditching you guys."

Lily had crossed her arms and was nodding in agreement, but it was easy to tell that she was stifling a grin of her own.

Lorraine had gone back to stirring the pot of stew, which was giving off a mouth-watering aroma by this point. Tapping the stirring stick against the edge of the pot to shake off the drops of broth, she tossed it into the wash basin and carried the pot of stew to the table.

"I hope you've all worked up an appetite, because there's plenty of stew to go around. Oh, and April, dear," she continued, "would you mind fetching that stack of bowls from behind the chrysanthemums?"

The kids' initial surprise turned into subtle snickers, except for April, who had froze, her whole body glowing beet red.

"B- bu-..." she stammered once she had recovered enough to almost speak. "How did you know about that?" she questioned astonishedly.

The keen mother tapped one finger on her forehead. "You should know by now," she said, smiling cunningly, "I've got eyes on the back of my head."

* * *

After finishing the tasty supper of big mushroom and potato stew, the four kids found themselves sitting around chatting in the antique-furnished living room. Roddy and Lily had offered to help Lorraine with the dishes, but she kindly refused their generosity, telling them that they should take some time to catch up and get to know each other better.

"You know," Lily commented, "you're almost exactly how I pictured you to be, _Berry_ boy. And here I was hoping for some big surprise - to meet a mysterious new friend of the twins. I mean, you did come all the way from the Johto region and all, but you're really not that different from anybody else here."

Roddy wasn't quite sure how to respond to that obscure statement. "Umm… thanks? I think…" Just then Roddy remembered something he had been meaning to ask Lily since he met the girl just that morning. "Say, why do call me farmboy and berryboy and all that? Like back when we first met this morning; how did you know that I grew up on a berry farm?"

Lily furrowed her brow in a look of puzzlement. "What do you mean, farmboy? Are you saying that you _actually_ come from a berry farm? In _Johto_?"

Now Jackson was the one to look confused. "Uhh, yeah, he does. We told you that before, Lily."

"Aagghhh, come on Jackson! You spoiled the joke!"

Jackson turned to look at his sister, understanding dawning in his eyes. "Ooohhhh… Hehe, my bad Lily," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly.

Lily just grinned. "It's okay; I wasn't planning on running him along too far. Anyway Roddy," she said, addressing the older boy once again, "I've known all about you ever since these two Farfetch'ds started Squirtling about you like three months ago. So I knew you grew up a farm kid, and it doesn't look like you've changed much, huh?"

Roddy ducked his head for an awkward second. "Yeah, I suppose not. I really do enjoy scouting different berry varieties and seeing how they thrive in different places. That's why I'm excited to see Petalburg Woods right in these guys' backyard."

"Maybe tomorrow we can walk you through some of our favorite trails!" April suggested gleefully. "We know where all the good spots are for berries and wild pokemon and everything!"

Jackson sat shaking his head. "Probably not tomorrow, April. I already promised Roddy I'd take him to see Professor Alder in Littleroot tomorrow, remember?"

"How about the day after, then?"

Roddy rubbed his head, but he couldn't help grinning. "Sheesh, guys, it sounds like I'm booked through next Tuesday." This comment brought chuckles around the group of friends.

"Well," Lily said after a moment of friendly silence, "I guess I'd better get going home."

"Oh, come on," April protested. "You can't be serious about trekking home through Petalburg woods at night. Just stay over here until morning; then we can go over to your place while the boys go to Littleroot."

Lily smiled, nodding at the proposal. "When you're right you're right, April." She broke into a huge yawn. "I am awfully tired anyway. I'm no Willow, that's for sure. Goodnight guys; if we don't see you in the morning then good luck with the Professor." With a smile and a wave, Lily followed April through the quiet hallway to her room.

"G'night you two." Roddy wasn't quite tired enough to go to sleep yet, so he took the opportunity to ask Jackson something that had been gnawing at him all day.

"Hey Jackson, you mentioned the pokemon Linoone earlier - and so did Ross. All you said was that Norman has one and it would match up well against Slick… But what is a Linoone exactly?"

"Oh!" the younger boy started. "I didn't even think about you not knowing that; it's one of the more common pokemon here in Hoenn. In fact, it's the evolved form of Zigzagoon, like my Streak. I think I can find a picture of it here…" Jackson got up and started digging through the bottom drawer of an aged cabinet. "Aha! I do still have this."

He walked back over to Roddy holding a large booklet of some sort. Roddy narrowed his eyes questioningly. "This is a scrapbook I put together a bunch of years ago of all the pokemon I've seen so far. Well, that I had seen at that point. I stopped updating it about the time we started school, so it doesn't have all that many pokemon in it. But there is a picture of a Linoone… Here!" Jackson pointed to a photograph of a long cream-colored pokemon with brown stripes.

Roddy looked at the picture curiously. "Wow; it even looks kinda like a Furret," he remarked. "Do you think your Zigzagoon is going to evolve into a Linoone soon? ...Wow that was a tongue twister…"

Jackson chuckled. "I don't know about _soon_ , but someday he's going to be an amazing Linoone for sure!"

"We'll definitely have to arrange a battle when that happens," Roddy said.

Jackson grinned. "Of course, cousin. You could battle Streak the Zigzagoon anytime you want, too."

Now Roddy had to grin. "For sure! It'll all happen soon enough, won't it?"

* * *

 **Drowning in hobbies I am. And by 'hobbies' I mean video games… big oof… But hey I have a reputation to uphold! And by 'reputation' I mean YouTube channel… Hehe I know I shouldn't plug my other work here but hey! If you enjoy Pokémon, Smash Bros., Skyrim, Mario, and complete randomness, feel free to message me! We can hang out and play games and have a Hoothoot of a time!**

… **The 'Hoothoot' pun was the joke of the day. Don't expect anything more from me. That's all I have to offer. I'm sorry. The Miltank's running dry.**

 **~Shadow**


End file.
